


An Unlikely Romance - The Bleach Saga REDUX

by TheWolfSage



Category: Bleach
Genre: Action/Adventure, Choose Your Own Adventure, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2020-07-27 20:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 23,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20052232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfSage/pseuds/TheWolfSage
Summary: AUR:TBS - Reborn, Remastered, Re-edited. Undergoing re-writing to avoid some early mistakes as well as fix the issues the old version had run into. A CYOA of vast and magnificent proportions, meant to exceed the normal limitations of a CYOA. When you are put into the world of Bleach, what will you change? Will you be the strongest Shinigami that ever lived - the next Captain Commander? Will you find true love, your one and only? Will you slay Aizen and save the lives of your dearest friends? Or will you end up, crushed and broken at the feet of some Hollow before your prime, or dead at the hands of Aizen, an Espada, or some other terrible threat? Your own life and the lives of your friends are all at your fingertips, yours to control.What will you choose?





	1. Chapter 1

** _ An Unlikely Romance: The Bleach Saga - REDUX _ **

A few years ago, I decided to try my hand at a project. The idea behind that project was to create a CYOA that could span a massive amount of time, effort, and possibilities. The goal was to create a CYOA fanfic which allowed the user to feel far more in control of their actions than most others did. I succeeded in some aspects, and failed in many others.

But from failure came lessons that I needed to learn. From time away came inspiration and renewed muse, and from the outpouring of support I got even long after attempting the story and quitting it for a while came the desire and renewed vigor to restart and improve the story.

To those of you who read my original story, welcome back! I hope that this new attempt brings you fresh joy, as well as a deeper dive into whatever branch(es) you may have been reading! I encourage all of you to try old and new choices alike. Below, I have included a summary near the original story (but updated) to explain the premise to those who did not participate! Skip to the divide if you don't want an updated recap. And finally, I apologize to everyone who commented and didn't get a response before I deleted the old story - I knew I would be deleting it so I didn't want to write out responses only to have them missed. Simply know that you have my heartfelt gratitude and that I hope you continue to enjoy this project of mine!

To those of you finding this story for the first time, welcome! The idea of this story is to provide massive, world-spanning choices. In this Bleach story anything is possible - anything at all! 

You could end up as the Captain Commander of Soul Society, replacing Yamamoto either by succession through his death or by defeating him… perhaps you even killed him yourself. 

You could end up as the ruler of Hollows, corrupted and turned into a Vizard or Arrancar who betrayed his former allies in Soul Society to lead Hueco Mundo to a new era. You could be Aizen’s henchman, determined to overthrow Soul Society, fighting (and even winning) against the likes of Kurosaki Ichigo. While in his employ you might follow in the footsteps of certain others and betray Aizen, a double agent, attempting to kill him to save Soul Society… or you might simply kill him to take his place and conquer Soul Society yourself.

You might discover the true nature of Hollows, become Kisuke Urahara’s next pupil and the next great innovator of Soul Society, you might be stationed in Karakura town and befriend Chad, Orihime, even Ichigo and Uryu. You might be the next great Captain, replacing one of the traitors and befriending the likes of Soi Fon, Byakuya, and the infamous Zaraki Kenpachi.

Or... you might flunk out of the Shinigami Academy. You might be forced into the streets and live your life out as another unknown soul in the Seireitei. You might make it into the Academy only to be crippled, maimed, or murdered during a training mission in the human world. You might be devoured by a Hollow during your first mission as a Shinigami, you might be mind controlled by a new Hollow and forced as their slave for the rest of your life. 

You might be slain by Aizen during his battle against Soul Society, or you might be cut down by one of his Espada while trying to stop him. You could join him, but just as easily be killed by Ichigo Kurosaki during his assault on Hueco Mundo, or anyone else who opposes the Hollows. 

Perhaps, more simply… you will simply be afflicted with bad luck, bad timing, or bad choices, and wind up with nobody. Whether you make too many wrong moves on your crush, get permanently injured, or simply spend too much time training and not enough time socializing, the result could be the same. For what have you accomplished to become the Captain Commander, slayer of Aizen and savior of Soul Society… if you must bear the burden of responsibility alone, and all your glory has brought you nobody to share the new peace with?

The goal is to provide all of these, and give the readers a chance to choose their own fates. Decisions, wise and foolish, will shape your experience. My overall goal is to provide no situation in which choosing several different things causes the same ending - too many CYOA stories act as "optional" chapters, meaning that your choices only affect _how much_ of the story you see, not what. Too many stories force branching paths back into the same main path and limit your decisions to only affecting very specific chapters, and _maybe_ allowing you to choose from a few endings.

I am going to try very hard to make any reader feel as if their choices always lead them down the same road. Every chapter you read (on any given path) should be unique. You won't end up best friends or enemies with any given character in _every_ route. This isn't a guarantee that every time you read the story it'll be different, though. Different paths may contain nearly identical chapters. This is especially true the bigger and more important the event you are trying to change. One example would be Aizen's betrayal at Sogyoku Hill and the attempt to recover the Hogyoku. Obviously no matter what character you have a relationship with, this will still happen; dating Rukia versus dating Orihime doesn’t really change the fact that Aizen is an ass. 

However, what may change is how prepared you are. Are you a romantic, with the strongest relationship in the world even so early in the story – but so weak that Aizen can literally kill you with a single punch? If so, your character likely won’t be doing much, and in that way even though the chapter contains the same events, they’ll play out differently.

You might be rescued by Captain Soi Fon, who charged into your rescue because of your strong relationship. Captain Hitsugaya might risk his life to save you from Aizen, because you have become close friends with him as his Third Seat in Squad Ten. Or, if you’re strong enough, perhaps you fight Aizen alone, save the day – or more accurately, avoid being killed long enough for reinforcements to arrive (it’s still early, after all). In fact, depending on your relationships with certain characters and your strength, new paths you haven’t considered may open up here…

Every choice you make in this story is going to affect not just what you read, but your character, the other characters, and the (eventual) ending you reach. I will have a list of invisible statistics, affected by the choices you make. A few might be:

Zanjutsu  
Kido  
Hakuda

These are just examples of some generic statistics, something every Shinigami has to be skilled in. And when I say statistics, I mean that each chapter you choose will not only have lore consequences, but statistical significance that can play into what happens when you take actions ten, twenty, a hundred choices later.

Let’s say you’re in the Shinigami Academy. You might be presented with the option, at the end of the chapter, to either take an extra Zanjutsu lesson, an extra Kido lesson, or an extra Hakuda lesson under private tutoring. Those choices would then send you to another chapter. Let’s say that all three send you to meet up with Rukia Kuchiki, regardless of which you picked. Even then, they won’t go to the same chapter, because as I explained, I want each decision to be at least relatively unique.

Instead all three will lead to separate chapters, which will each have its own minor differences based on the previous choices (and in most cases, choices you made several chapters ago, as well as your overall relationship with a character). These are extreme examples, but this could happen:

-You practice Zanjutsu, and you smell from the physical exertion, and Rukia reacts negatively.

-You practice Kido, and Rukia reacts positively, approving of your newfound mastery of Kido, as that is one of her strengths.

-You practice Hakuda, and Rukia reacts neutrally, impressed by your toughness yet not attracted because of bruises you accrued.

These are rather extreme examples, especially considering the setting, but you get the idea – every choice has an impact, even on the things that don’t seem that important. More realistically, it’s likely that Rukia would comment differently depending on your choice, and then proceed normally. Any positive or negative gains from such a choice would be minimal on her.

However, what about afterward?

Maybe three, five, twenty chapters later you have to fight a Hollow as your first mission as a real Shinigami. Those choices that you made all the way back at the Academy are STILL present, and still very, very important. You’re presented with three strategies to take the Hollow down. Since then you’ve befriended Rukia and have trained your Kido skills with her, so you feel confident enough to try a high-level Bakudo spell to bind the Hollow to make slaying it nigh-effortless.

Because of that training you took earlier, you just barely have the necessary skill to weave the incantation, binding the Hollow as you slide your blade through its mask.

Perhaps if you had taken the Zanjutsu training you would’ve failed to bind the Hollow, but you would have been able to combat it on equal ground.

Perhaps if you had taken Hakuda, you wouldn’t be able to land a killing blow; instead you would batter the Hollow senseless and it would escape, not purified by your Zanpakutou.

…Or, perhaps you didn’t train. Perhaps you’ve trained part of the time, but not enough; your Kido fails, the Hollow bats away your sword from your unskilled hands, and then devours your soul when your weak blows fall upon its hide.

This is a CYOA which I’m going to try to make greater, longer, and more massive-feeling than any other. In the end there will be hundreds of chapters with dozens of endings, and not all of them will be positive. Assuming all my ideas pan out the way I plan, you could potentially end up with any character from Bleach (or at least, any character of reasonable significance).

As I mentioned before, and as should be clear from the title, this is a revamp of an earlier iteration of the story. For the most part it will be the same, but the chapters I post will be freshly edited to remove any issues I find, as well as updated in the instances where I realized I made a mistake or didn't like the way I set something up. I have taken a very (very) long break from this story, but I have returned and have the intention of following it through to the end or until I no longer feel like I can satisfactorily complete it.

A few quick notes about the story for clarification:

-I attempt to write these stories in second-person general, non-specified past tense. "You" is the pronoun most commonly used, and it's very much meant for the reader to insert themselves. To this end, I try _very, very_ hard NOT to gender or identify the reader. I try to do this in a variety of ways - mostly by writing around it, but sometimes by calling it out or even outright lampshading the fact that the MC is never named or described. If you don't enjoy that, I apologize - as a reader I have always found leaving ______ for the reader to fill in very immersion-breaking.

-There very much WILL be bad ends. They won't be exceptionally early, but suffice it to say that you _are_ a Shinigami (most of you) at the end of the day. If you don't train, you will eventually end up useless at best, dead at worst, or a failure if you're completely without determination.

-Different paths - especially early on in the story - contain different possibilities. I'll try to make it possible to end up with any character if you try hard enough on any given route, but even if you get the person you wanted most, feel free to go back and try different choices and routes. The whole point of this story is maximum replayability. Go wild!

I hope that you all enjoy this story. Without further ado, let us begin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your name was… well, it wasn't really very important. What you called yourself didn't matter. What mattered was who you _were_.

You came from the streets of the Rukongai, no memory of your former life, like most lost souls. You had been told that this was the case for everyone by the Shinigami who exorcised you, performed… “kansu” was it? They told you that memories were bad. Memories created ties, ties created pain, and pain was what turned ordinary souls into Hollows. 

Even once you were in Soul Society, why be tortured by the pain of your past life? Why remember loved ones who were still alive, who might not die for dozens of years, or even relatives who are dead but might have lost their own memories of you, and so be little more than strangers? 

It was a little odd knowing that you still had the memories of yourself as a ghost in the human world… yet you couldn’t remember anything of your life, like you had as a ghost. It was like someone had gone through your mind with a fine-toothed comb. It felt more purposeful than accidental.

It was disturbing, but at the same time it was probably for the best. It was oddly relaxing actually, to have no memories, no family, and no connections. Not because you thought you might have been unhappy with them, but simply because you had nobody else to worry about now. As a teenager, you were a pretty young person even in life – unbelievably young compared to the average age of people who died – and you had to fend for yourself as best you could, lacking the knowledge of how the world worked that the older generations did, or the understanding of Soul Society that the others who had been there longer had worked for.

You’ve only just entered this strange world of the dead a few weeks ago. So in a way the most important thing about who you were, was that you didn't really know. The most notable thing about your background was that you had none. Why was that important?

Because you were a blank slate. An unwritten history book, and the first page had only just started to turn.

~~~~

The day was hot, dry, and unfriendly. Stalls were closing early, people were locking themselves away inside their covered homes, and even rodents and insects were staying as far away from the almighty sun as they possibly could. Summer in Soul Society came in two forms: Hot, and Devil’s Winter Vacation Home. This was the latter.

You were perched on top of a closed stall, resting lazily in the makeshift cloth hammock that you were commandeering. It was a loose cloth that you had doubled over and thrown over your body, keeping yourself partially shielded from the sun. Nobody really bothered to chastise you for the act; most people had no stakes in the stall's well-being, and the few who did were either already sitting at home or were too miserable to bother dealing with your antics.

Sadly, this was the best you could do – for now. Your home, which had until recently proved an adequate shelter, had been compromised when another child fell through the roof in the middle of the night a few days ago. You had tried to sleep in it, but the skylight was too conveniently located above the bed; you’d woken up with massive sunburn the next day, too tired to awaken when the sun came down on you. You were currently sleeping whenever and wherever you could manage to put something over you, other than a blanket with twenty fist-sized holes in it.

But your short catnap had come to an end, and with little to do besides lay there and slowly suffocate and bake in the heat, you decided that you should head home. Even if your “bed” was uncovered to the above sunlight, you could at least huddle in the corner. It was in a rougher part of the neighborhood... but you didn’t have much choice.

You sighed, flipping the cloth off of you and hopping down from the stall. You half-expected to hear the owner shouting at you from a nearby house, but nobody was around to accost you for using the roof of the stall for a temporary bed. The heat was too great for anyone sane, or at least anyone sane with a good home, to be out in this weather.

You crept toward your home at an agonizingly slow pace, too hot to go any faster but dying in the heat from going so slowly through the terrible, humid air.

“You kids… think you… anything you… kick your sorry…”

You heard just the vaguest words as you trotted along, so exhausted you didn’t even really stop to consider what they might actually mean, and so out of it you didn’t hear most of it. The owner was merely chastising you, and made no motion to follow you in the exuding heat. You just kept dragging your feet one after the other until you reached the street your house was on. Now you just had to turn and go another few blocks and you’d be there… squatting on the poorer side of town, but at least it was a home.

You turned the corner and saw something; a blur of motion, coming right at you. You didn’t even have time to think in your addled state, much less react, and it plowed right into you, then through you. You were bowled over, and the sprinting person didn’t fare much better, tripping over your fallen body after being slowed and disoriented by the impact.

You coughed and fought to push yourself off the ground with one arm while rubbing your head with the other. Looking at the other person, you could only see their back, but judging by their size they weren’t much older than you. Aside from those two things, all you could notice about them from this angle was their…

**Blonde Hair: Go to Chapter 2**   
**White Hair: Go to Chapter 3**   
**Red Hair: Go to Chapter 4**


	2. Chapter 2

…Blonde hair. It was long, shaggy, and rather unkempt, so wild that most of it hung out of sight over the man's shoulders. That changed as they turned, revealing the face of a young man who was a little bit older than you. He looked a bit dirty, but that could’ve been from the fall; aside from that he looked surprisingly regal, in a way. He wasn’t like the rest of the souls from the Rukongai, dirty and ragged from years of making a living. His face was slightly pale but not marked by scars, imperfections or signs of a hard life.

“Ah, I'm terribly sorry!” He spouted out quickly, turning and running away. You had time to spot a pair of apples in his hands just before he turned, and suddenly you understood what all the shouting had been about. What you didn’t understand was who was desperate enough for money to keep their stall open in heat like this, and who was desperate enough for food to steal in this kind of weather. It was so hot most people couldn’t even walk in the sun for an extended period of time, much less run away from an angry shopkeeper.

Of course, that unpredictability may have been the genius of it. The boy didn’t seem to be slowing down at all, and the shopkeeper you now saw looming behind was staggering. He was an older man, looking around forty, which meant he was several hundred years old, and he was quickly tiring. Sweat ran down him as he vainly chased after the far more lithe youth.

The man held out his arm, face still covered with anger (and sweat), growling and cursing at the child. Then his eyes fell to the ground, and he seemed to notice you. He paused for a moment, looking back up to the man, who was leaping up to a rooftop. You thought he was going to grab onto the top and pull himself up… but your jaw dropped as you watched him leap all the way to the roof in one go. You had never seen that kind of strength or skill in a normal person, only a Shinigami. As soon as he reached the top, another figure appeared, dressed in fine black clothes, and they both turned to walk away. The second figure’s head was covered in a wrap, so much that you couldn’t see any detail, but you did recognize the blonde.

“Wait, I remember him… isn't that one of the Shihoin servants?” You vocalized, staring at the blonde oddly. Both of the figures on the roof seemed to stumble as they were walking, and the blonde turned back to look at you. You covered your mouth, not having realized he might hear you from so far away, but they just turned and started running anyway. The shopkeeper paused seeing this reaction, looking between you and the blonde for a moment, then turning and shouting.

“You! You were helping him, weren’t you! I’m going to throttle you into the next afterlife!”

It was an extreme leap in logic, considering that you'd been _run into_ by the fleeing suspect, but that didn't particularly matter when a man was threatening your life. Rather than argue the merits of assuming anyone around was involved in the theft you lashed out with a quick kick, catching the shopkeeper right in his gut.

“OWW! You little bastard!”

You got up and turned to run, but were stopped when you realized he was so pained by your unexpected attack that he was entirely grounded, down on both knees and clutching his stomach. You'd probably seriously hurt something already strained by the exhaustion of a chase in this infernal weather. Your stomach growled abruptly, reminding you that you hadn’t eaten in far too long. You dashed off with due haste, rocketing around the man. He heard your footsteps and growled, reaching out for you, but only made it halfway before cramping and collapsing again.

You ran all the way to his stall, body protesting such exertion in the heat, but you managed to grab three apples from the stand almost without pausing. The man was opening his eyes from the pain, and even saw you fleeing, but he didn’t give chase this time. He was still shouting obscenities and curses, but you were far faster and far less exhausted. You smiled at the good fortune in turning what was originally an accident into a stroke of good fortune. There really was no law in the Rukongai, it was basically whatever you could get away with. Even in the Districts closest to the Seireitei there was rarely any interference from outside the community.

You took a breather when you finally put some real distance between yourself and the stall, running into a cramped side alleyway and breathing deeply, resting your agonizingly overheated body. You'd left the man well behind, and were finally alone with your haul.

“There they are."

Then again, perhaps you’d spoken too soon.

Looking up, you saw two figures dropping from the rooftop, landing directly in front of you. Immediately you realized it was the blonde from before and the masked companion. You squinted at the mostly-hidden face, trying to figure out who it could be, when the blonde brought your attention back.

“You said my name back there, didn't you?”

The statement was simple, yet almost accusatory. You looked back and forth between the two figures, but when you held your gaze on the masked figure once more, the blonde sighed and waved his hand in front of your face with a soft smile. They weren't being overly aggressive, but clearly they wanted an answer.

“Uh… yeah, I know you. You’re… Kisuke. I… I can’t remember your last name, but everyone knows about the Shihoin family, and I got to see you a couple weeks ago when the Shihoin Clan was moving through the Rukongai - some festival or something. You were with Lady Yoruichi.”

“The cat's out of the bag, Kisuke. I suppose we’ll have to kill them now so they don't tell anyone who you are.”

Your eyes widened at the masked person's words, and you backed up against the wall firmly as you saw the blonde reach to his back. You lashed out wildly, pushing him backwards, and accidentally shoving the hooded figure away, into the wall on the opposite side of the alley.

“Ouch! Hey, I was just messing with you, come o-”

Your eyes finally met the masked figure’s. Though they easily caught themselves on the wall with effortless grace, your hand had also accidentally tangled with a loose bit of the cloth around their head. It was a woman, and she froze mid-sentence as she realized that her headgear had been lost, running her fingers through her silky purple locks instead of a rough piece of cloth. Her eyes widened as she noted that you could see her and, after what you’d just told the blonde, there was no way you couldn’t recognize her.

It was the Shihoin Princess, Yoruichi.

“Kisuke, take care of it!” She said while turning and getting ready to dash off.

“They've already seen you, you may as well stay.” Kisuke’s word had an immediate effect on the young girl; she seemed to calm, slightly, though she still looked pretty frightened. Yet, despite all that, she had an air of calmness around her – you would guess, if pressed, to say that that was the years of discipline and nobility in her kicking in through a panic you didn't quite understand.

“What are you both doing? I don’t understand any of this…” you said, somewhat scared still by the ‘joking’ reference to them murdering you, not to mention extremely confused by her odd reaction.

Kisuke sighed. “They don't even fully understand. Perhaps it would be better for us to leave, Lady Yoruichi.”

Their escape was not to be, for a thought occurred to you just as Lady Yoruichi nodded and they almost turned to leave. “Wait a second, why do two members of one of the noble families need to steal apples from a street vendor in the Rukongai?”

The panic returned, and their departure halted once more.

“You can’t tell anyone you saw that, please. You can’t even tell them we were here.” Yoruichi said, looking incredibly serious.

“The reputation of the Shihoin family would not be helped much by the news that two of its youngest members were pretending to steal apples, especially when they are forbidden to leave the Seireitei.”

“Pretending?” You asked, confused. It didn’t seem as though they had ‘pretended’ to steal the apples – in fact, you could still see the small red fruits clutched, one in each of their left hands.

Kisuke held up a small pouch that jingled as he moved it. “He’ll notice when he returns that I left more than enough currency to cover the stolen apples. Fortunately, I left so much extra it should be more than enough to cover for yours as well, though I can’t say I anticipated running into another person during this little adventure.”

You shook your head, completely baffled by the logic of these rich people. “Why would you bother going through the trouble of stealing on a day like this when you had the coin to pay for it? Seems like a lot of effort to go through.”

Yoruichi piped up again. “That’s the whole reason we came out here. It gets tiring being in that palace day after day, having to follow all those rules. I just wanna get out here and have some fun before they ship me off to the Academy; please, don’t tell anyone about this!”

You shook your head quickly, seeing nothing to gain from taking the Shihoin family down a peg, and definitely not wanting to make an enemy out of a member of the noble family. Not to mention the moral problems of turning in someone who (technically) did nothing wrong. You were actually more in the wrong than them, considering you took the fruit with no idea that they would have provided the funds to cover for them. “I would never do that! I have no grudge against the Shihoin family, and you didn’t actually do anything wrong… I promise on my life I won’t tell anyone about this.”

The purple-haired girl still looked quite apprehensive, but she nodded and smiled. “Thank you. We’re really sorry about troubling you… but, hey, why don’t you come along with us? We’ve only got a couple more hours before we have to go back, or we’ll be caught when we don't show up for lectures. We could use a guide to make the most of our day. I doubt we’ll get a chance to do much of anything besides sit around the palace again before the Academy, at least not like this.”

You scratched the back of your head, looking around slowly. There wasn’t really much to see in this part of Soul Society… truthfully, you had always thought of Seireitei as the interesting part. With the Gotei 13 and all the Shinigami around, you had a hard time seeing how anyone could possibly become bored there. But worse, today everyone was pretty much limited to staying indoors unless they wanted to be sunburnt or dehydrated.

“Well… there really isn’t that much to see, once you’ve seen the markets, and besides that nobody is running around today. It’s way too hot.”

Yoruichi looked very disappointed. “Figures. The day we finally get to use our escape plan, and the Rukongai is suffering like this… I feel bad. Hey… why don’t you just take us to your house then? It’d be kind of nice to see a normal person’s house.”

You weren’t sure whether to be amazed that she was actually thinking of a ‘normal person’s’ house as interesting or insulted that she said it like that, but either way, you had to give an answer. And… well, you didn’t have much else to do. Having some company might be nice. On the other hand, these were two complete strangers – from the Seireitei, which weren’t famous for caring a lot about the problems of the Rukongai. Did you really trust them?

**Agree to take them to your house: Go to Chapter 5**

**Decline, and go home alone: Go to Chapter 6**


	3. Chapter 3

…their short white hair. Indeed, it caught your attention even more so simply because of the unusual color, bright and completely unnatural, though not unheard of in a strange place like the Soul Society.

You fell to the ground quite harshly, landing with almost as much force on your back as the person that you ran into did. The white-haired boy was falling backward, landing on his butt, his arms falling out to catch him and scattering fruit across the ground.

You pulled yourself up off of the ground, rubbing your head a little bit as you stared at the white-haired man apologetically.

“Ah, sorry,” You said as you stumbled backward a little.

“Hey, might wanna watch where you’re going. Wouldn’t want you damaging any of my tasty persimmons.”

You looked surprised for a moment, unable to comprehend. You had expected him to be a lot angrier with you, not just giving you a warning about damaging his fruit that sounded downright… friendly. And… he was smiling. It looked happy, but something about it unnerved you all the same.

“I didn’t mean to, I was just making my way home. I’m sorry about your fruit,” You said quietly while you reached out and picked up two persimmons that were laying near you. The white haired man just kept up that ever-present smile and turned his squinted eyes away from you as he picked up the rest of the fruit.

“Thank you, stranger. You don’t look familiar; have we met before?”

I shook my head. “Don’t think so…”

_"I think I'd remember a guy like you,"_ You added mentally, still quite estranged by this man. He seemed quite unlike anyone else you had met. You stood, holding the two persimmons that you had grabbed out toward him. You couldn’t help but allow your eyes to flicker to them as you passed them – it was hard to give up food, even food that wasn’t yours.

“Well, thank you very much,” he said as he took them from you. But rather than add them to the small collection he was building in a fold of his robe, he threw one in and held the other out to you. “Would you like one?”

You stared disbelievingly. Offering to give up some of his food was… well, it was a gesture rarely seen between friends in the Rukongai, much less between strangers who had gotten into an accident.

“I… I don’t… I can’t…” This man was so unusual and the gesture so unexpected you could hardly speak.

“Of course you can, here!” Without giving you a chance to turn it down, he thrust one of the persimmons into your hand. You looked at it in wonder, your stomach already growling, but he spoke again before you could so much as thank him.

“Boy, you really look hungry. Perhaps you’ve got some real Spiritual Pressure in there?”

“I, uh… what?” You had heard others talk about how souls with Spiritual Pressure were the only ones that got really hungry, that they needed energy, but you weren’t so sure. You had seen too many children stealing and starving to believe that they were really all gifted. Otherwise they almost certainly would have become Shinigami and gotten out of the Rukongai.

“Yeah, nobody should be this hungry unless they’re burning a lot of energy. Maybe you’re good enough to become a Shinigami.”

You were so confused by this man that you didn’t know how to respond. He was so… personal. He was already making statements about you and your strength, like he’d known you for days. He was almost too friendly. He wasn’t being rude, really, just… it was like he didn’t understand the concept of being a stranger.

“Well, I suppose you don’t want to become a Shinigami then. Oh well.”

You paused, and he turned and acted as though he was about to leave.

“Wait, I- Thank you for the persimmon!” You blurted out quickly, afraid that if you didn’t get it out he’d turn around and interrupt you once again. You weren’t particularly amused with not having gotten more than a word or two into this conversation.

“Well, so you can speak a full sentence!” He said, laughing, but he didn’t stop moving. “I have more, you know, more than we can eat alone. You’re welcome to join us for a meal.”

We? Who was we? And why was this man offering to share his food with you, even more than he already had? Still… your stomach was on his side, urging you to join. But the idea of going to the house of a man you’d only just met seemed like a generally bad idea. What exactly were you going to do?

**Follow Him: proceed to Chapter 7**

**Go Home: proceed to Chapter 8**


	4. Chapter 4

…spiky red hair. Actually, if you hadn’t noticed it, you'd have thought you were blind. It was so unnatural that you found yourself staring at it in a mixture of confusion and shock for a split second.

It would’ve been longer, if a very angry shopkeeper hadn’t chosen exactly that moment to round the corner, presumably chasing after the kid that you'd just bumped into.

**“Why you rotten little shit! Come back here with that bread!”** He shouted very loudly, barreling toward you, his oversized belly bouncing with each step.

“Get outta my way, do you want us both to get killed?!” The red-haired boy shouted, suddenly standing and charging away from you without so much as an “excuse me”. He started running down the street behind you with his shirt full of bread loaves intact, leaving you utterly befuddled.

_“Wait, why did he say both of us?”_

“YOU AND YOUR LOUSY, ROTTEN FRIENDS STAY AWAY FROM MY SHOP!” The man shouted, lifting the broom high over his head. Your eyes widened – it was about then that you realized that he intended to bash _your_ skull in too.

You rolled to the side, leaving the broom and its rather painful metal handle to smack down beside you. Instinctively, you were on your feet and sprinting in the opposite direction before he could ready the broom for a second strike, following in the trail of the red-headed boy that had gotten him in this trouble to begin with.

“Hey, quit leading him toward me!” The redhead yelled after several seconds, when he looked back and realized that both the large man and you were tailing after him.

“You shouldn’t have led him to me!” You shouted back, slowly gaining ground on him.

“How was I supposed to know you were right there? Now split up!” The red-headed boy slowed down for just a moment and then threw his arm out at you, causing you to stumble, nearly trip, and go down a side alleyway. A loaf of bread tumbled from his grip, causing him to fumble much like you were at that moment. To your credit, you kept running, but…

“Worthless scum!” The man shouted, pausing only for a moment before continuing to chase you. You weaved between the buildings, heading down the alleyway and doing your best to make your way back around to the direction the red-haired boy had gone.

Like hell if you were just going to let this guy make you take all the blame.

You grabbed a windowsill for leverage as you threw yourself around a corner, losing no momentum. The large man behind you followed, only just barely staying on his feet as he madly swiped the broom through the air. As you emerged back into a side street you saw the red-haired boy running toward a fence.

“HEY!” You shouted out loud, but he didn’t even acknowledge you – possibly because at that very moment, your shout was echoed.

“HEY, OVER HERE!” Suddenly one of the fence posts bent outward, the bottom moving out toward you and a small head with black hair popped out. It was a girl, and whoever she was, she was apparently helping the red-haired boy escape.

“It’s about time you showed up!” The boy shouted, running forward and ducking under the post. The girl paused, nearly shutting it behind her, before she looked your way and saw the shopkeeper tailing behind you.

“Hurry up!” She shouted. You looked around, almost shocked to see kindness shown by an ally of the red-haired man. But you picked up the pace, and slid down low, nearly putting your back on the ground as you moved under the wooden beam, the sound of it slamming shut behind you being your greeting as the three of you paused, looking around. Even though you seemed to have escaped for the moment, nobody seemed very comfortable. You were glaring at the red-haired boy, he was returning it, and the girl just looked confused.

“Renji, who is this?”

“I don’t know, just some kid I ran into. Come on, let’s get out of here,” this ‘Renji’ said, nodding his head away, cradling his bounty of bread as he started to walk down the narrow alley.

The girl paused, looking at you. As you looked behind her, your eyes grew wide. Just above the fence, the shopkeeper’s head poked out. The girl spun, staring at him, but didn’t seem as surprised as you.

The man smashed his shoulder into the fence, and the aged boards cracked immediately. You took a step back, as did the girl, and Renji paused to look back at the two of you.

“Hurry up, let’s get out of here, before-”

The next blow was all it took; clearly the fence was even weaker than you had suspected. The wooden thing crumpled inward, splinters flying as the shopkeeper threw himself through it.

“You lousy, rotten, little thieves!” He shouted, lifting the broom high above, and throwing it down. He didn’t seem to think, he simply went for the closest target – the girl. If it had been the red-haired boy you might have let it slide, but the girl had at least been kind enough to offer you (temporary) safety… you leapt into action without thinking, concerned for your own safety as well as hers, despite her showing far more survival skills than you had thus far.

**Tackle the shopkeeper: Go to Chapter 9**

**Move forward and take the blow: Go to Chapter 10**


	5. Chapter 5

“I guess I can take you there,” you said slowly.

“Thank you, this will be so much fun!” Yoruichi said excitedly.

“Thank you for allowing us into your home,” Kisuke said, though his was considerably calmer, bowing slightly.

“Come on. We’re not far now,” you shrugged, turning and walking through the cramped alleyway back toward the main street. Yoruichi secured her headgear again and the two were quickly behind you.

~~~~

You cringed at the sight of your house as it finally came into view, remembering just how terrible it looked. It was at least decent from the outside, aside from the few boards broken aside and the poor shingles on the roof. But the inside was barren, dusty, and exposed the gaping hole in the roof on the back side… conveniently located above your bed.

“Is that it?” Yoruichi said, pointing at the house. She didn’t seem to look overly surprised or disgusted, so you figured she must have already seen a lot of bad buildings in the Rukongai. You just nodded and she smiled, walking ahead into the building without waiting for you.

“Thank you for being so kind to us, especially after… well, after we inconvenienced you is the best way to put it, I suppose,” Kisuke said, grinning happily at you. These two seemed quite an odd pair; they weren’t anything like you had expected nobles to act.

“Uh… sure, no problem. Go on in, make yourself at home. I mean, there's not much of a home, but you're welcome to it. I mean- uh, you can go in.”

Kisuke nodded and walked into the house, following shortly after Yoruichi. You were about to enter the house when something caught your eye. The air in the alley beside your house was wavering slightly… you stepped out of the doorway, peering down through the shade created by the buildings bordering the alley.

There was a disturbance. It was… odd. The air was shimmering, twisting and bending like the air just above the flames of a fire… it was shrinking and growing at odd paces, and it vanished altogether for a time. However, just as you were readying yourself to turn away and enter the house, it re-appeared, twice the size it had been. Clearly it was more than just a mirage. You decided to…

**Ignore it and go inside: Go to Chapter 11**

**Investigate the disturbance: Go to Chapter 12**


	6. Chapter 6

“Uh, sorry… I don’t really feel comfortable with that.”

Yoruichi’s eyes fell a little. “Oh… are you sure about that?”

Kisuke interrupted you two, not giving her a chance to say anything. “Ah, Lady Yoruichi, perhaps it’s best that we get going anyway. We have no idea how long it will be until someone checks your room, and we _are_ the ones imposing.”

She didn’t look very much cheered up, but she gave a reluctant sigh, and shrugged. “I guess so. Thanks anyway, you know, for not telling anyone.”

You nodded. “It’s fine, really. It was… interesting, getting to meet a couple of nobles all the way out here.”

She smiled, but it didn’t touch her eyes. “Maybe we’ll see each other again. Come on, Kisuke.”

Kisuke nodded and turned away. Together the two of them started to dart away together. You stood, staring at them until they vanished around a corner, with Yoruichi holding one corner of her wrappings to make sure they stayed in place. Once they were gone, you stood around for a few moments, eyeing the fruit you were holding. At least you had something to eat.

You trekked through the hot streets for several minutes as you made your way back to your house. The alleys were winding, but the distance was fairly short. Still, you had a few beads of perspiration on your forehead as you approached, leaning briefly against the wall of your house, taking a small break from the walking.

You were about to enter the house, and see if you could find something to entertain yourself with other than eating, when something caught your eye. The alley beside your house was wavering slightly… you stepped out of the doorway, peering down through the minimal shade created by the buildings bordering the alley.

There was a disturbance. It was… odd. The air was shimmering, twisting and bending like the air above a fire… it was shrinking and growing at odd paces, and it vanished altogether for a time. However, just as you were readying yourself to turn away and enter the house, it re-appeared, twice the size it had been. You decided to…

**Ignore it and go inside: Go to Chapter 13**

**Investigate the disturbance: Go to Chapter 14**


	7. Chapter 7

“Um… sure, I guess…” No matter how weird you may have found this man, the offer of food – more food than had already been given to you, that is – was enticing. And in this world you had to take it wherever you could get it.

“Great! Rangiku will enjoy the company.”

You started after him, running a little bit to catch up, as he was walking fairly quickly despite how much he was holding. As you heard that name, you realized something – you still didn’t know his.

“Hey, you're talking about others but I don’t even know your name,” You said, slowing yourself down as you walked beside him.

“Oh, how rude of me, my name is Gin. Gin Ichimaru,” He said, without even stopping or looking at you while he spoke. You thought he might ask for your name, but he didn’t even give you a cue.

“Do you… want to know mine?” You asked, hesitantly.

“I'm sure it’s not that important. Why, here we are!”

“What, I-“ You stared rather blankly at the house ahead of you. Apparently this strange man lived all of twenty yards away from where you’d run into him. That was convenient, if not a bit strange.

You looked for a moment at the dwelling itself. Like most other homes in this area, it looked very similar to everything else around it. In fact, it looked a lot like your house, except for the fact that this one didn’t have as many holes in the roof.

“Come on in, make yourself at home.”

You stopped staring, wondering if he’d seen you and thought it rude, then followed him through the doorway. The room was mostly barren; the only furniture in the one-room shanty was a pair of mattresses laid out across the room. Then you noticed the woman.

She had long, orange hair that was almost as unique of a color as the strange silvery hue of her friends, and as bright as the eyes that were looking between both you and Gin. In those eyes and the way her head bounced between the two of you, there was confusion as well as a hesitance. Despite what you saw as a degree of caution, she made no move to stop you entering, nor to chastise her friend.

“Gin, you're back! Uh, who’s your friend?” She asked, giving you the once over, her gaze now focused entirely on you. You eyed her back for a moment, but threw your gaze back to Gin almost instantly. Her stare wasn't unfriendly, but it was intense.

“Oh, they're just staying for dinner. Come on then, there’s plenty for everyone.”

Gin sat down as if he were at the head of a table, spreading the persimmons across the floor with that same smile that he always seemed to have.

“…okay,” she said a little hesitantly. “Well, welcome to our little home. My name is Rangiku.”

“Mine is-“

“Mmmmm, delicious, you really should try one of these,” Gin said as he chewed his way through the first bite of a persimmon, interrupting you mid-sentence by shoving a knife toward you with the hilt extended. You gripped the hilt of the thing, giving up on introductions for the moment. You'd rarely eaten persimmons before, but your eagerness overrode your caution as you cut away at the leaves and the most obvious bits before biting into it with delight. The skin was not particularly the best part, but the taste was surprisingly delicious. On a stomach not used to more than a bite or two of food at a time, though, nearly anything could taste scrumptious.

You passed the knife to Rangiku who quickly and adeptly prepared the fruit, and a moment or two later all three of you were sitting around, devouring the persimmons like there was nothing else in the world while slowly passing the tool around. No matter how many you ate there always seemed to be more available – Gin had certainly brought a lot, and you had to wonder where he had gotten them all. The man certainly couldn't have carried so many in one trip, but he always had another ready…

“So, what brings you around here? I don’t think that I’ve seen you in the markets before,” Gin said, between bites.

“I live a little ways away… I mostly don’t come over here, but today I just needed to get outside and cool off.”

“Well, you certainly picked a lovely day,” Gin said. His voice had that same steady intonation, never changing – you weren’t certain whether he was being sarcastic or not.

“Do you have any family around here?” Rangiku asked.

“Um… no, I live by myself. I’ve been alone for about as long as I can remember.”

Rangiku sighed and looked down sadly. “There seems to be a lot of that going around.”

The silence was so thick you could almost feel yourself choking on it as you continued eating, but nobody seemed willing to say anything more. Except, of course, for Gin. After several seconds he wiped a small amount of persimmon off of the corner of his mouth and smirked at you. At least, it looked like a smirk… was it really any different from his normal expression?

“So, what do you want to do?”

“You mean like… right now?” Your stomach grumbled as you spoke, feeling almost overstuffed because of how much food you were consuming. You couldn’t even remember the last time that you actually got to eat this much at once.

“Well, of course not! I mean what do you want to do with your life. Surely you must have some plan. Everyone has dreams.”

You paused, staring at the half-eaten persimmon in your hand. You had never been asked that before, though you’d thought about it occasionally. You wanted a better life, that was certain – barely getting to eat and living day to day wasn’t your ideal style of living. But what did that mean? In simpler terms, what did you want to be and what did you want to do? A merchant, a Shinigami, a mercenary, a guard, a farmer? There were a few different positions through the Rukongai, but so many people gravitated toward just one of them…

What did you want to do?

**Become a Shinigami one day: Go to Chapter 15**

**You aren’t sure: Go to Chapter 16**


	8. Chapter 8

You stared at the man as he walked away, not moving. This man was too odd, too unusual, and far too friendly. You were hesitant to follow. He might have been disappointed, but his demeanor didn’t show it and he never bothered to turn around once he started walking.

You yourself were ready to go home as well. You still had one persimmon anyway – might as well make the best of it. And that involved eating it in peace, in what little shade your home provided, and preferably doing so as quickly as possible.

Your mind wandered much as your body did, and you slowly made your way back home while reflecting on your encounter with the man, as well as the last few days. The silver-haired persimmon-bearer was not the only odd conversation you'd had. Something was different in Soul Society, that was certain. You hadn’t heard anyone else voicing the same thoughts, but you could feel it. A chill down your spine here, a strange feeling of being drawn somewhere else every now and then.

Even now there was a chill in the air, like- wait no, that wasn’t intuition or imagination, it was… chilly? Just moments ago it had been one of the most sweltering days that you could remember. Now you were almost shivering while walking. And the closer you were getting to your house, the worse it was getting.

Something kept drawing you closer to your simple home, even as your mind screamed the unnaturalness of this. You felt like something was just around the corner every time you approached an intersection; it was like you were being watched, like something was lurking around every corner for you to finally get home. But it wasn’t until you were nearly there…

…that you saw the Hollow that was standing on top of a pile of bodies.

Your eyes widened and your mouth gaped as you stared at the beast. It was… feeding. In fact, it was so busy consuming the citizens of Rukongai that it hadn’t even noticed you yet. But you were certain that it would not remain ignorant for long.

What was your response?

**Run for your life: Go to Chapter 17**

**Scream for help: Go to Chapter 18**


	9. Chapter 9

You reacted as quickly as you could, throwing yourself headlong at the shopkeeper. Your right shoulder connected with his rather oversized gut, not only causing him to let go of the broom as you knocked the wind right out of his lungs, but sending him stumbling to his knees. You remained standing by sheer luck, and turned just in time to see the girl grabbing you by the arm.

“Hurry! We need to get out of here!”

You nodded quickly and charged away alongside them, the girl pulling you along as quickly as she possibly could. The dazed shopkeeper never stood a chance of catching up to the three of you – by the time he was halfway back to awareness and caught his breath, the three of you had long since rounded the corner and were gone with the wind.

~~~~

The three of you finally came to a stop, panting and huffing, probably over a dozen blocks from where you had frantically begun your sprint. You looked around for a moment, trying to discern exactly why they were stopping here, when you noticed you had entered a residential area. In fact, you were in your residential district – not two blocks to the west was your home. It was a striking coincidence.

“That was… close…” You panted, your hands on your knees. It had been a mid-sized distance from where you had been to here, but running at full blast with adrenaline pumping had you exhausted.

“Yeah, I… thanks, for what you did back there,” Rukia said quietly, nodding her head at you. You smiled, nodding your head at her.

“No problem. I'm used to getting away from things like that.”

“What the hell’s with you, huh?!” Renji shouted, intruding on your conversation. “You were supposed to lead the shopkeeper away, not bring him back to me!” He accentuated this outburst with a loud, powerful smack across your spine. You bent forward and grunted at the force, then righted yourself and glared at him.

“What the hell’s wrong with YOU? Who runs into someone and then uses them as a distraction?!” You shouted back.

Rukia eyed Renji with a bit of humor in her eyes. “That’s not a bad point, you know. And you were too busy running away to deal with that shopkeeper. If it had been up to you, I'd probably still be getting beaten right now!”

Renji growled, looking back at Rukia. “I wasn’t running away! I just didn’t get there first!”

Rukia laughed and rolled her eyes before looking back at you. “Tell you what, you took care of that shopkeeper and you stopped him from hitting me with that broom. Why don’t you take a loaf of bread?”

“Hey, I worked hard for this food!” Renji shouted, clutching protectively at the bread, looking like Rukia had just offered to give up one of his vital organs.

“Here, take this,” Rukia said, ignoring him completely and snatching a loaf from the top of the pile. She tossed it to you and only laughed while Renji started voicing more protests.

You laughed too, and caught the loaf as it came toward you. You looked down, felt the soft loaf, and your mouth immediately began to water.

“Come on Rukia, let’s sort out this haul. We’ve got enough to last for a week!” Renji shouted, probably anxious to get inside so that he could stop being the one getting picked on.

“It was nice meeting you,” Rukia said. “Renji, don’t eat it all before I get in there, you can’t afford to put on much more weight!”

The sound of their argument was background noise as you began walking away, smiling to yourself. It hadn’t been such an awful day after all. At least you got food out of it. The question was, what were you going to do now?

**Go straight home: go to Chapter 19**

**Walk around Rukongai for a while longer: go to Chapter 20**


	10. Chapter 10

Without a moment of hesitation, you threw yourself in front of the black-haired girl, nearly knocking her over as you stopped the incoming blow with your spine. The shopkeeper was surprisingly strong – the blow not only stung, but it knocked you into the girl, sending both of you crashing into the ground.

The man didn't stop his assault even as you fell, and you had no time to move both of your bodies out of the way of the follow-up hits, so instead you planted your hands on the ground and braced yourself, keeping your arms stiff as the blow hit. You grit your teeth in pain – the blow was so loud you were certain that the broom must have shattered. The girl was too in shock to move, looking quite surprised at what you had done to protect her. The man raised his broom for a third time.

“Get away from her!” The red-haired boy, Renji, suddenly shouted, leaping over your prone forms. With the hefty man’s arms all the way behind his head, there was no chance for him to block or to stop himself from toppling over backwards. He fell with a great crash, and the red-headed boy turned around and gripped Rukia’s arm tightly, practically pulling her out from under you as he dashed down the road.

“Come on, we’re getting out of here, Rukia!”

“Renji, I- come on!” She shouted at you, waving her arm as she struggled to gain proper footing while being dragged along by her friend. Looking back at the grunting, groaning shopkeeper - who was currently rubbing his head and beginning to sit up - you quickly dashed after them. The dazed shopkeeper never stood a chance of catching up to the three of you – by the time he was halfway back to fully conscious and caught his breath, the three of you had long since rounded the corner and been gone with the wind.  
~~~~  
The three of you finally came to a stop, panting and huffing, probably over a dozen blocks from where you had frantically begun your sprint. You looked around for a moment, trying to discern exactly why they were stopping here, when you noticed you had entered a residential area. In fact, you were in your residential district – not two blocks to the west was your home. It was a striking coincidence.

“That was… close…” You panted, your hands on your knees. It had been a mid-sized distance from where you had been to here, but running at full blast with adrenaline pumping had you exhausted.

“Yeah, I… thanks, for what you did back there,” Rukia said quietly, nodding her head at you. You smiled, nodding your head at her.

“No problem. I'm used to getting away from things like that.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I…” The girl trailed off. She probably didn’t know how to finish it. She probably wouldn’t have been dead, of course, but she would have had a hell of a bruise. A lot like your back was probably going to be suffering from tomorrow.

“Hey, what the hell was the big idea back there!” Renji suddenly ran up to you two, pointing a finger accusingly at you. “You were supposed to lead him away, not bring him back to me!”

He emphasized these words with a powerful slap – right on your back, approximately the same place that was now most likely turning a very deep blue and black color. But you did feel the sting as your entire spine lit up in a red-hot flash of pain. You grimaced, uttered a small groan, and then fell forward, nearly landing on your face as most of your muscles below your neck tensed up from the pain.

“Renji! Stop blaming others,” Rukia said, though she made no move to do anything to physically stop him. Renji had already stopped himself, simply crossing his arms and looking away with a grown.

“Oh, come on Rukia, we wouldn’t have even been caught if it wasn’t for this idiot!”

“That ‘idiot’ is the one who saved me while you were trying to run away, as I remember it,” Rukia said, looking away from Renji in a huff.

Renji’s eyes widened. “WHAT? I wasn’t running away! I just wasn’t as close to you.”

“Are you okay?” Rukia asked, clearly ignoring Renji for the moment as you tried to climb back up.

“Yeah, I- I’m… okay.” Your knee buckled under you just then, as you tried to stand and your back again protested the action. Before you could completely plant your face into the dirt, however, you felt something under your side, lifting you back up. You got your feet under you and stood, the lessened weight making it easier on your spine and allowing you to get all the way back up. You looked over and saw that the girl was holding you up, her left shoulder tucked into your right armpit and helping you to regain your footing.

“I don’t think so,” Rukia said with a chuckle. You laughed a little bit, the slightest tint of red coming to your face from the contact and the fact that you’d nearly fallen on your face in front of both of them.

“At least we got the haul,” Renji said, still ignoring your injury. “Come on, let’s head inside. This is enough food to last us for another week!”

Rukia glanced inside, then back to you. You were capable of walking on your own, so long as you didn’t fall over again, but she seemed hesitant.

“Would you like to come inside?” She asked, quietly. “We have plenty of food, and you need to let your back rest for a while. You did all that for me; this is the least I can offer."

Your eyes widened at that. You had a hard time believing anyone would so willingly give up food. The red-haired boy Renji was more akin to your typical vision of a Rukongai citizen – Rukia, if nothing else, was at least polite.

But would you accept her invitation?

**Accept, and go inside: Go to Chapter 21**

**Decline, and go home: Go to Chapter 22**


	11. Chapter 11

You chalked it up to heat – it was probably a disturbance in the air caused by the day’s weather, so you weren’t too curious. Shrugging off the strange sight, you turned back into the doorway and walked in. Yoruichi and Kisuke were already looking around, at what little there was in the home. You winced every time their eyes passed over a hole in the ceiling, rot in the wall, or cast downward to the floor – where many boards had been worn away and over a quarter of the floor was exposed to dirt.

You half expected them to look shocked and walk back out… the very idea of nobles in a place like this was something totally unimaginable. But to your surprise, not only did they not seem ready to leave, they were standing around, politely waiting for you to enter before they sat.

“Something wrong?” Yoruichi asked with an innocent smile. You shook your head.

“No, just… thought I saw something, but it was just the heat.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re in the shade then. Come, let’s eat this food,” Kisuke said happily, spreading out the fruit he had taken from the stall. You laid the fruit that you had out as well, and from seemingly nowhere Lady Yoruichi produced a knife and began to cut one of the apples into several slices, nimbly avoiding the core.

She almost passed the knife to Kisuke, but then a startled look came over to her eyes and she switched her arm, looking a bit bashful as she handed it to you. “Sorry, you’re the host, you should have gotten the first piece.”

You took the knife, a little taken aback. “It’s fine… we don’t really have so many, you know, rules out here.”

Lady Yoruichi puffed out her chest a little bit and started waving her hand in front of her face as if she were fanning herself. “But a member of the Shihoin Family must always be well-mannered, no matter the situation. She must be refined and maintain her dignity no matter where she finds herself.”

Kisuke laughed, but you didn’t. Mostly because you were a little embarrassed, having that stereotype of the nobles yourself for many years. They always seemed so regal, so out of touch with life outside of the Seireitei. These two were certainly a little out of touch, but at the same time, they were so friendly it was almost impossible to think of them as the same people that you had heard of for years. Their ignorance seemed more by circumstance than by nature.

The house creaked, loudly. The house often stirred because of its poor construction, though, so you didn't react immediately and your guests seemed to take your calm for granted. You handed Kisuke the knife, trying to avoid drawing attention to the poor excuse for a cut you had inflicted on your apple as you took a bite into it. It was good – perhaps feeling more so because of the fact that for once the food you were eating had been paid for.

The creaking noise came again. This time, even louder. It sounded like something was actually pressing against the walls of the cottage. Even Yoruichi and Kisuke suddenly looked alert.

“Kisuke, do you… feel that?”

“Yes. Perhaps we should leave…”

You tried to say something, but they had caught you in the middle of a mouthful of apples. Were you not actually full of fruit, you would’ve probably asked what they were talking about. Unfortunately, by the time you cleared your throat-

-the entire wall of your house had imploded.

Wood splintered, cracked, then shattered. The sound was like a whip snapping centimeters from your eardrum, and you felt your previous thoughts wash away as you were knocked onto your back. There was a massive pressure building, a loud screeching sound filled your ears, and at once the world started to spin as you lay on your back, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“…oruichi, w… call the gu… …llow att…”

The sounds around you blurred in and out, as you tried desperately to reorient yourself. You could see an entire wall of your house was gone. Apparently most of it was now laying on top of you. And beyond that now empty space, reaching in through the gaping hole… a massive, white mask.

You stared and gasped, freezing at the sight – but before your mind even had time to process the horror of what you were seeing, there was a hand wrapped around your shoulder, pulling with strength beyond what you thought its bearer was capable of. Urahara Kisuke lifted you from underneath the debris, straining, but not overly so. He was pulling you along even as he shouted into your face, making his voice as loud as he could over the sound of a bestial roar.

“It’s a Hollow! Just run, run!”

Knowing the danger something like that could pose, your first thought was to simply do as he asked. You turned and sprinted, trying to put as much distance between the Hollow and yourself as possible, aiming for the door – which, amazingly, was still very well put together despite the fact that you were minus one wall of your home.

You had just cleared the door when you the next cracking sound came – this time, your entire house fell down. Whatever the Hollow had hit, probably the opposite wall, it had seriously injured the integrity of the building.

Then you heard the shouts.

“I’m pinned! Help!”

Your eyes widened as you focused on Yoruichi. She was pinned underneath an entire wall that had stayed together, simply toppling over. You stared, as she tried to push herself off of the ground. Kisuke had been strong enough to pull you out from the rubble, so you were quite sure Yoruichi would have been able to easily free herself - except that the Hollow was pressing down on the rubble covering her, one arm putting all its weight on the trapped Shinigami as it pried itself free from the portal around its waist.

Yoruichi looked at you, apparently surprised to see you stop. Kisuke had only just noticed, and he was a bit further away than you were. “Just go!” She shouted, directing her words at you as the Hollow stomped ever closer.

You had seconds to react – no time for thinking, just for action. What did you do?

**Attempt to save her: Go to Chapter 23**

**Keep Running: Go to Chapter 24**


	12. Chapter 12

You couldn’t help but feel compelled to approach the strange disturbance of the air. It was unusual, but more than that… it was alluring. You slowly left the doorway and the corner of your house and began approaching the warping air.

It seemed to react to your approach – whether or not that was in your imagination or not you had no idea. You wanted to reach out and touch it, as if to confirm that it was there. Rather than moving around like you thought it would, it seemed to hover in the air, a static fixture rather than a mobile illusion. You closed within several feet when something made you stop. The air quivered, thrummed, and fractured.

The flickering air suddenly turned as black as night itself.

You stood, frozen, staring, unable to understand what had happened. It was like you were staring into a viewport into the pitch black of night. You stayed where you were, no longer approaching it. In fact, you were oddly repulsed now; there was a chill coming through the air and you felt almost as if you were being magnetically pushed away from the anomaly.

But you continued. Somewhere in your head you thought you heard voices, those of your companions calling out and wondering what you were doing. But you ignored them. For before your very eyes, the black mass that had appeared in the air was replaced, with a solid white. And the disturbance grew, and with it the white shape, until you finally realized exactly what it was that you were looking at.

It was a Hollow mask.

The shout of fear caught in your throat as you saw what happened next, almost in slow motion. The mask backed away, and some of the blackness returned. And then it was there, with you, not on the distant side of some air disturbance. A long arm reached for you, giving you only moments to react on pure instinct rather than thought.

What was your immediate reaction?

**Leap out of the way of the grasping hand: Go to Chapter 25**

**Stay frozen in fear: Go to Chapter 26**


	13. Chapter 13

You chalked it up to heat – it was probably a disturbance in the air caused by the day’s weather, so you weren’t too curious. Shrugging off the strange sight, you turned back into the doorway and walked in. Home sweet… well, it was home, anyway.

You brushed off the apple you had and immediately decided to dig in. You didn’t have any silverware or anything resembling a table, so you just plopped against the wall beside the door and began eating, biting straight through the skin.

Those nobles were… interesting people, to put it mildly. You certainly wished that you could have spent more time with them just as an experience that was so rare, but you also weren’t going to bring them back here. Just the fact that it was as downtrodden as it was made you nervous about letting others of your own social class in, and to be quite honest, you were a little baffled at their strange behavior. 

You continued biting into the fruit, the sweet taste amazing to your deprived taste buds. You quietly contemplated your decision, listening to the quietness of the area around you. The only sound was your house lightly creaking, boards swaying inward slightly.

Strange… it wasn’t a windy day outside. You edged to your feet, approaching the boards in confusion. They released, moving back to their regular position…

And then caved in with such force that the boards shattered completely.

You were thrown back by a shockwave of force as your eyes were forced shut, splinters and even large chunks of wood nearly cracking you in the skull. You held your arms protectively over your face until, after a moment, the shards stopped flying.

You lowered your arms, looking around. Half your wall was gone, and there was a massive hole. Nothing remained to even hint at what could have possibly been the cause of the destruction. Except that there was a faint chill starting to run through the air.

You almost felt your teeth chattering as the cold air swept into the room. This was unnatural – the air outside had been so heated you felt like you could’ve caught fire at any moment. You pressed yourself back against the wall, feet having carried you almost unconsciously away from the hole where the air was seeping through.

A black shadow came over the hole. No, it was definitely not a shadow! It was something real, something tangible – something coming straight at you!

Your mind was filled with only one thought, as you stood there –

**”MOVE!”: Go to Chapter 27**

**“Fight!”: Go to Chapter 28**


	14. Chapter 14

You couldn’t help but feel compelled to approach the strange disturbance of the air. It was unusual, but more than that… it was alluring. Or maybe you were just bored and looking for something to entertain you now that you’d left those two nobles behind. You slowly left the doorway, walked around the corner of your house, and began approaching the warping air.

It seemed to react to your approach – whether or not that was in your imagination or not you had no idea. You wanted to reach out and touch it, as if to confirm that it was there. Rather than moving around like you thought it would, it seemed to hover in the air, a static fixture rather than a mobile illusion. You closed within several feet when something made you stop.

The flickering air suddenly turned shadow black.

You stood, frozen, staring, unable to understand what had happened. It was like you were staring into a viewport of the pitch black of night. You stayed where you were, no longer approaching it. In fact, you were oddly repulsed now; there was a chill coming through the air and you felt almost as if you were being magnetically pushed away from the air.

But you continued. Somewhere in your head you thought you heard voices, those of your companions calling out and wondering what you were doing. But you ignored them. For before your very eyes, the black mass that had appeared in the air was replaced, with a solid white. And the disturbance grew, and with it the white shape, until you finally realized exactly what it was that you were looking at.

It was a Hollow mask.

The shout of fear caught in your throat as you saw what happened next, almost in slow motion. The mask backed away, and some of the blackness returned. And then it was there, with you, not on the distant side of some air disturbance. A long arm reached for you, giving you only moments to react on pure instinct rather than thought.

What was your immediate reaction?

**Leap out of the way of the grasping hand: Go to Chapter 29**

**Stay frozen in fear: Go to Chapter 30**


	15. Chapter 15

You looked down at your hands for a moment, literally twiddling your thumbs as you tried to think of the best way to say what you were thinking. You vaguely knew the answer to his question, but… putting it in words? Summarizing all your future plans and dreams into one sentence? That took a bit of concentration.

“I want to… become a Shinigami one day… I want to…”

The silver-haired man and the woman both continued looking at you. Neither of them seemed willing to interrupt you, but… was that a glimmer in the eye of the silver-haired man?

“I want to protect Soul Society. I’ve been around too many good people that suffered, too many weak that couldn’t raise a blade for themselves or their friends. I want to become a Shinigami, a living embodiment of Soul Society’s will. But, more than that, I want to be able to raise the sword in my own name, to use it when others are afraid.”

“Well, isn’t that cliché.”

Your face became inscrutable as you looked over at the silver-haired boy, who was chuckling.

“Not that there’s really any reason to become a Shinigami that isn’t cliché. Everyone either wants to be a hero or wants to get out of here, don’t they?”

“Yeah… I guess,” You said, sighing. You had actually tried a little bit with your answer, you were hoping for at least some illusion of consideration for your answer.

“Here, think fast.”

You looked up and it was only reflexes and luck that saved your skull quite the bruise; you snatched the large wooden sword that was headed for your noggin out of the air, gripping what ended up being the bladed end.

“Come on then, Shinigami, let’s have a little fun.”

Your eyes widened as Gin brandished his own wooden blade. Just how strange was this man? More importantly, at least at the moment, how strong was he? If he was keeping wooden swords just lying around his house at the ready, then…

Gin took two quick, low steps forward, already drawing back the blade and stabbing it toward your abdomen.

You had only an instant to decide on a course of action; what did you choose?

**Go on the defensive: Go to Chapter 31**

**Counter attack: Go to Chapter 32**


	16. Chapter 16

You looked down at your hands for a moment, literally twiddling your thumbs as you tried to think of the best way to say what you were thinking. You vaguely knew the answer to his question, but… putting it in words? Summarizing all of your dreams and plans? Honestly you weren't even really sure what you wanted to do yourself.

“I guess… I don’t really know, to be honest,” You said, unable to find a good way to say how you felt. “I’ve mostly been trying to survive.”

Rangiku nodded. “Life out here hasn’t been easy on any of us.”

“But every now and then life throws you a handful of persimmons,” Gin said simply as he bit into another of the small red treats.

“Do you have any friends, any relatives?”

You sighed. “Not exactly… I’ve had a few friends in the past, but they all disappeared over time. Some lost touch… others just lost.”

Rangiku stared down sadly. “I understand… Gin and I are the only ones left that either of us know.”

“At least you have each other,” you said with a smile, though it was a weak one. Rangiku returned your smile and for a moment both of you were lost in thought; even Gin stopped munching on the food for a few moments, looking back and forth between the two of you.

“If you don’t know what you want to do, why don’t you go to the Shinigami Academy?”

You looked at the silver-haired boy with a bit of surprise. Of course, you knew about the Shinigami Academy; everyone did, it was one of the biggest dreams and aspirations for everyone - children and adults alike. Still, you hadn’t expected it from him. Perhaps it was his strange nature… but you had difficulty picturing him as one of the famous defenders of Soul Society.

“Well, that would be great… but I don’t even know if I can make it in. Are you going to join the Academy?”

Gin’s eyes flickered briefly. Perhaps they had widened just enough to show movement when his eyes shifted, or perhaps he was actually affected by my question. But his reaction didn’t last for very long.

“Yes… I’m going to become a Shinigami. Perhaps you have what it takes to become a Shinigami… it’s certainly better than staying around here, isn’t it?”

You shivered. Something had come over him at the mention of becoming a Shinigami… it wasn’t a comfortable aura that surrounded him now. Something had grown cold.

“If you don’t think you have what it takes, come back tomorrow. We could always use someone to train with.”

You considered his offer… did you want to train with him? It would certainly help your chances of getting into the Academy.

**Agree to come back: Go to Chapter 33**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 34**


	17. Chapter 17

Your mind was panicked, but primal instincts rarely failed. Your brain screamed at your legs to run, and suddenly you were flying along the alleyways in the same direction that you had originally come from. Your feet pounded the dirt, breath suddenly coming in gasps as your adrenaline-fueled body started to take in oxygen as quickly as it could. You threw your entire body around the corner of a building, intending to put as many obstacles between yourself and the Hollow as possible. The streets of Rukongai were small, but you still didn’t want to be easily spotted.

You had been running for almost a full minute when the sound of loud thumps behind you reached your ears. In the brief seconds that followed you felt a cold chill from your heart, like your entire circulatory system was frozen from the inside out. Then the Hollow was with you.

It burst directly through a building in front of you, scattering two unlucky residents across the dirt. The Hollow firmly planted a foot on one of them, crushing the poor man; his wife screamed and started running off between the buildings… for just a brief moment the dark hope that the Hollow might be distracted crossed your mind, but that idea was shot down as fast as it appeared. The Hollow stomped directly toward you, and you turned to run the other direction. Just as your first full stride hit the ground and your mind was-

You were lifted into the air, a crushing pressure knocking most of the air out of your lungs, taking the little fight you could provide out of you quickly. You struggled lightly in the grip of the beast, gasping for breath, while the Hollow pulled you to its great white mask and glared into your face.

“Let me go you son of a-”

“Hmm hmm hmm…” The Hollow breathed in what was half chuckle and half hum, shaking you a little to quiet your shouts. “Seems the meal thinks himself threatening… how quaint. You’ve got more spiritual power than all those pathetic souls back there together, though, so I’m glad you finally showed up.”

The Hollow lifted up its free arm and stuck forward one long, pointed finger; though its figure was almost entirely black, it was easy to see the edges as it closed in. You renewed your struggles, but…

“AHHHHHHHHH!” You screamed loudly in agony as the tip of the claw dug into your chest, ever so slightly – just enough to pierce the skin and apply slow, heavy pressure to your sternum, compressing your rib cage. The pressure was unbearable, knocking out what little air you still had in your lungs, and you felt a chill creeping through your body, like the very essence of the Hollow was seeping into you.

“Now, for my favorite par-“

The Hollow suddenly froze, with its eyes widened and its mouth open, shivering. Before your eyes… the entire body of the Hollow started to fade away.

“Wo- WOAH!” You shouted, falling down as the Hollow simply faded, your body slipping free of the vanishing arm.

“Easy there.” The voice that was suddenly beside you was accompanied by a firm pressure on your back, and suddenly your downward momentum was diverted down into horizontal speed.

You came to a grinding halt while still being held up… by the arm of what appeared to be a man wearing a pink flower sash with a large straw hat on top. You might have been a little off – your head was spinning from the sudden momentum and direction change.

“You okay? I’m glad I got to you before that Hollow had you for dinner, too…” The voice was sad, but caring and firm. Your feet touched the ground as the owner of the voice set you upright, and you looked into the face of a Shinigami.

“I… my chest…” You felt weak suddenly. Your chest was in pain, but it wasn’t regular pain. You felt that same icy touch in your chest, like where the Hollow had touched was sending waves of pain through your entire torso.

“Don’t worry about it, the wound is shallow… I’ll patch it up for you,” the Captain said simply, smiling gently. From his robes he produced a cloth, and a roll of bandages. You winced quietly as the pain numbed but still continued to lightly throb.

“No, it’s…”

**Tell him about the strange pain: Go to Chapter 35**

**Ignore it, and let him bandage the wound: Go to Chapter 36**


	18. Chapter 18

Your brain was screaming at you as you stood there, and that turned very quickly into a vocal scream instead of merely a mental one.

“HOLLOW!” You shouted, backing away slowly while staring at the beast. “THERE’S A HOLLOW!”

The beast’s head turned, staring directly into your eyes, and its strange mouth twisted in a cruel smile. That smile sent the most primal of fears directly into your head – you turned and started running as quickly as you could, attempting to put distance between yourself and the evil creature.

Sadly, you had failed to realize just how quickly a Hollow was capable of running.

It had launched itself over your head and landed in front of you before you had cleared even a city block. Its hand reached out, and you slammed into the palm of its open grip before you could stop yourself. Claws wrapped around you, and you could feel your feet leaving the ground.

Suddenly, they hit the ground again, and black blood was spraying into the air around you. You rolled as your feet touched land once more and the hand unclenched slowly, freeing you to scramble away from the now severed limb of the Hollow.

A woman landed in front of you, black robes fluttering in the wind, a glittering sword in her hand. Her face was a mask of determination and composed anger. She took a protective stance in front of you, raising her blade at the Hollow with the missing limb.

“Stay behind me,” The woman said quietly.

The Hollow let out an inarticulate roar of rage, pressing its hand forward rapidly, pointing the claws toward the Shinigami in front of you. The woman pushed out one hand, flattening her palm and absorbing the force of the blow… the entire force of the blow. The attack stopped dead, an attack which you knew had the power to crush entire buildings. You would have been obliterated.

“Hado number thirty-one: Shakkaho!” The Shinigami cried out, thrusting her second hand forward, edging it around the large arm of the Hollow as a massive red sphere appeared. It rocketed into the Hollow’s chest and exploded; the brilliant light blinded you for a moment, and by the time you raised an arm to cover your face and the attack’s explosion dissipated, the Hollow was already gone, disintegrated with the attack.

The Shinigami in front of you wiped at her face lightly, the beginnings of perspiration appearing on her cheek. She turned to face you then, and you got your first glimpse of her face.

Her black locks framed her face well, pinned back and with bangs hanging off the right side of her face. She also had oval-shaped glasses on, and a certain hardness to her stare. Despite that she looked at you with concern, worry evident, especially as her vision shifted to the scenery around you and then back down to your eyes.

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly.

“I… I…”

**”I think so.”: Go to Chapter 37**

**“Thank you so much!”: Go to Chapter 38**


	19. Chapter 19

You decided to head straight home… an entire loaf of bread was quite the reward for just the tiniest bit of heroism, and you were eager to dig into it. You started home, nearly skipping with joy despite the intense heat. Your stomach was already rumbling with anticipation of your largest meal in days.

As you journeyed home, you thought of the people you'd just met. Those two were an… interesting pair. They were definitely better friends than their constant fighting made them seem, that much you were certain of. More importantly though, they were serious contenders working together; they probably would’ve done even better dealing with that angry man if the red-headed boy hadn’t bumped into you. Though, to be fair, the three of you could've handled it much better if he'd been less of a dick about the whole thing…

Due to the heat, you hadn't ventured very far when you ventured out that morning. About a three minute walk… maybe you would run into them again, if they lived in the area. Worst case scenario you could always swing back and steal some of THEIR food, if you were ever starving. Turnabout being fair play, and all that.

You reached your home and immediately sought out refuge in your homemade bed. You threw yourself at the small ‘cot’ you had made out of dirt, leaves, and scraps of cloth, makeshift at best and barely better than the dirt itself at worst. Laying on it you began to tear off small pieces of the loaf you had acquired and thought quietly to yourself as you ate.

You hadn’t had that much excitement in quite a while… admittedly, you were forced to steal quite often, but still, the thrill of the chase hadn’t happened in quite a while. You were growing a little bored with your life in the Rukongai, but you weren’t making any real progress to getting yourself out by just sitting around here. And the longer that the average person stayed in Rukongai, the more likely they were to succumb to one of the many dangers. Not the least of which was hunger, though it seemed like you would be staving that off for another day.

There were only a handful of ways to get out of Rukongai… most involved death. The only other ways were to have a particularly unique and useful talent that one of the noble houses desired, or to become a Shinigami.

You had no talents… and as much as the fear of death repelled some wayward souls, you knew that you were just as likely to die out here in Rukongai – if not moreso – than if you became a Shinigami. That would have to be your path, for it was your only chance.

The stories of Shinigami exploits stretched on for centuries, all the way back to the founding of the Shino Academy. Fame, fortune, love; pretty much anything you wanted could be gotten, especially with the aid of the other perks. But which part excited you most?

**A good life. Maybe not safer, but more luxurious and with more freedom: Go to Chapter 39**

**Fame, fortune… power. Respect. Finally making a name for yourself: Go to Chapter 40**

**Love, adoration, fame, fans… you wanted everyone to worship you: Go to Chapter 41**


	20. Chapter 20

You decided to walk around the Rukongai for a little while longer… after all, your last little expedition had earned you a whole loaf of bread. What else might be coming your way?

As you wandered through the neighborhood you realized that you were actually in an area of the Rukongai that you could recognize – you were only a few blocks away from your own home in spite of your adventures with the strange duo from earlier. That was a pleasant surprise, and it meant you would have more time to walk around without having to worry about finding your location and trekking halfway across the district just to settle down for the night.

The streets were almost universally empty. You only passed one or two other people in several minutes of walking; with the heat, it was to be expected. You were amazed you had even run into one angry shopkeeper considering how many other stalls were closed and emptied. He must have been absolutely desperate to sell his bread before it went stale… and for his reward, of course, now you were eating some of his delicious work.

Absentmindedly you picked away at the bread, piece by piece, filling your growling stomach as best you could. You were almost dying of thirst and the dry wheat wasn’t helping, but you could hardly resist after so long sustaining yourself off so little food.

A noise caught your attention, causing you to turn to the right. Though you were close to home, you stared around, looking for the source. Nothing immediately came up… the source of all the commotion must have been somewhere down another one of these alleys.

The question was, how interested were you in investigating a random noise?

**Investigate the noise: Go to Chapter 42**

**Continue home: Go to Chapter 43**


	21. Chapter 21

“Sure, why not? I really appreciate it.” You bowed before them, truthfully amazed by such kindness in the Rukongai. 

Rukia smiled. “Great, it’ll be nice to have a new face around.”

“Yeah, and a new mouth to feed…” Renji muttered, but with his arms full he really couldn’t do all that much to stop Rukia from inviting you, or you from following them in. Reluctantly the red-headed boy ceased his grumbling.

Their shack wasn’t much different than yours, with a couple of exceptions. Most notably was the fact that there were no holes in the roof… or in the walls. Or pretty much anywhere else, which was extremely impressive for the Rukongai. Granted, that fact was mostly because all the places that had developed holes over time had patchwork wood thrown over them, but still. You hadn’t even gotten the tools to do such work, much less the materials to cover up the growing number of holes.

Also, there was a corner with a blanket thrown over it which you could only assume was a stash of food or something equally valuable. It didn’t do much to hide it, but at least it was something.

“Done gawking?” Renji growled, walking past you toward the corner.

“Why Renji, I didn’t know you had a vocabulary!” Rukia said, spreading her hand across her face and doing her best to look innocent.

Renji just glared at her. You had to fight back a chuckle – maybe it was because of how relaxed around each other they were (and Rukia around you, though Renji less so) but you felt like they were more than just acquaintances. Maybe not quite friends, but… Rukia, at least, seemed quite open with you. Maybe it was because you saved her from the brutal end of a broom, but who knew?

“Thank you very much for this…” You said, debating whether or not to bow again. Normally you might have repeated your thanks a little less, but when it came to food, one could never be polite enough.

“Oh please, it’s the least we could do. Especially after you dove in headfirst like that – despite what some of us think, giving thanks to those who help us isn’t going to be our doom.”

“Tch, tell that to the others,” Renji said, shaking a loaf of bread at her. He’d somehow managed to get the covering off of the corner of the room, which was filled with what looked like empty boxes. There he deposited most of his load, but picked out two loaves. Then, begrudgingly, he lifted a third, and turned back to the group.

Despite the arrival of food Rukia seemed a little more depressed suddenly. Her smile faded a few degrees, even as she reached out and took the bread. You were so caught up in noticing her expression that when Renji (quite literally) tossed the third loaf your way, you almost didn’t catch it before it hit the ground.

Both of them seemed a little off put – even though Renji was the one who had mentioned the “others”, he too grew a bit somber, actually putting off his glare to eat the loaf of bread silently and gloomily.

You were somewhat curious about this… but did you breach the subject? Or just change the subject?

**”Who were… the others?”: Go to Chapter 44**

**“How long have you two been living together?”: Go to Chapter 45**


	22. Chapter 22

You thought about it for a moment… but, although you were happy to have helped them, you weren’t entirely comfortable with staying there. If nothing else, having the red-headed boy glaring at you the entire time wouldn’t help your level of comfort.

“Sorry, I really need to head home… thanks, though,” you said, looking directly into the black-haired girl’s eyes. “I really appreciate the offer. Maybe another time.”

“Maybe,” she repeated, a faint smile touching her lips. She still seemed disappointed.

“Come on Rukia, let’s get inside and sort all of this out!” Renji shouted, making his way quickly for the door. He didn't seem to be sad at all, in fact he smiled at you and nodded, as if in appreciation.

“Hold on, Renji!” Rukia shouted. The boy didn’t stop, but he slowed enough for her to catch up and grab two of the loaves. She turned and tossed them to you, giving you a little two-fingered salute.

Your eyes widened and you reached forward, barely grabbing them before they were dirtied on the ground. Rukia chuckled and turned to go into the house with Renji, throwing a hand over her shoulder in a wave.

“Nice catch! You do a pretty good job as a decoy, we should work together sometime!”

Rubbing your spine at the memory of your "decoy" work, you turned and walked away, shaking your head at the strange pair. If you knew for sure that all your encounters wouldn’t end up like this one, you might take her up on that offer. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’d had this much food – you hadn’t had a lot of luck in that area lately. On the other hand, you weren’t sure how much of this kind of abuse you could take.

Achy and tired, you started the long hobble home.

* * * *

You saw a surprising amount of traffic on the way back. Actually, it was almost impressive to see so many out in a way, considering how ludicrously hot it was. You couldn’t imagine what had been going on, but it must have been a real sight, because less than an hour ago you were sure the streets had been quite empty. As quickly as the waves of strangers appeared, they were dispersed. It seemed like they were every bit as eager as you to get inside now that the commotion was done.

It wasn’t long after that when you finally arrived home. You collapsed almost immediately inside the doorway, barely putting yourself against a wall to ease your fall and keep yourself propped up. The feeling of your spine banging against the wall did little to ease the pain it already had, but it was bearable now that you were sitting down.

You tossed the loaves to the side on one of the few floorboards not halfway pried loose or otherwise covered in dirt. You would eat later; as much as your stomach had been growling less than an hour ago, right now your mind was on other things. Between that and the pain, your appetite would take a few minutes to return.

You were glad to have met the two. Despite the beating you took in the process, it was nice having someone who you felt more at ease around; perhaps their quirky nature made them that way, but there were far too many people in Rukongai who you had to be careful around. Always had to watch your back to make sure there wasn’t a knife about to be planted in it. Something about them… they were different, that was certain.

A noise caught your attention suddenly. It was coming through the doorway, and sounded almost like someone’s foot sliding across the ground. You pressed your arms against the wall and forced yourself up, wondering if you should look out the door or not.

You didn’t have the chance to make the decision, however. The source of the noise slowly skittered in – it wasn’t a foot, but rather a piece of paper, blown by the mildest of breezes, into your worn-out home. You stared at it for a moment, unsure if someone had thrown their trash around. You caught a glimpse of a picture on the front, though, and it wasn't even slightly crumpled. It looked like it was a notice of some kind, one that had fallen loose of its bindings on some store wall or other.

You let yourself slide down the wall and slapped a foot on top of the paper to catch it before it could slide past you. Though it crumpled it, it let you slide it over so you could pick it up and look at the paper without moving too much in the insane heat of the day.

Your eyes stopped when you saw the front of the paper – the picture on it was something most people, especially children, could recognize. The Shino Academy, the training grounds for some of Soul Society’s greatest heroes. And one of the only ways out of the Rukongai for you, or any other poor child, barring some miraculous event.

And they were holding entrance exams in two days. _Open_ entrance exams.

A tingling spread through your body as you stared at the picture, the image of the Academy crumpling as your grip uncontrollably contracted. Your emotions soared, and you felt the adrenaline pumping. But what emotion was it gripping you?

**Excitement: Go to Chapter 46**

**Nervousness: Go to Chapter 47**


	23. Chapter 23

You hesitated, thinking on all the possibilities, wondering for a moment of your odds at surviving actually coming that close to a Hollow. Wondering what would happen if you didn't try. Imagining what you'd think of yourself if you turned and ran in fear.

Then, that moment ended. You threw yourself boldly at the downed girl, gripping the debris on top of her tightly. You threw your entire weight behind your efforts as you bent your knees and put your entire weight into the effort, doing anything to get those boards off of her.

“W-what are you doing? Go, get out of here!” Lady Yoruichi shouted as she looked behind her. The Hollow was approaching at a slow-ish pace, its footsteps passing through the fallen boards and forcing it to free its legs with every step. You were never more thankful to have such a crumbled home; the Hollow's feet falling through layers upon layers of aged boards was the only reason it wasn't already on top of you two.

“Please, keep quiet and… lift!” You grunted, your teeth grinding together as you struggled to lift the boards. You could’ve put it much more rudely but somehow the fact that she was a member of the Shihoin clan didn’t escape you, even in this time of crisis.

“I-“ She seemed to want to say something else, but the rubble pile moved violently, cutting her off. The Hollow, despite being frighteningly close, was actually assisting you. The more boards it destroyed, the less weight was resting directly on Yoruichi, and after just a few moments you inched it far enough off of Lady Yoruichi to pry one of her legs free. Kisuke had appeared by your side at some point, though you were too busy scolding Yoruichi to notice. He was notably stronger than you, and as he applied his weight, the pile shifted upward almost instantly. Together the two of you were able to lift it high enough that Yoruichi pried her other leg free.

Then, like a flash in the very instant that you lifted the pile, you were flying through the air.

It took you a moment to realize that Lady Yoruichi had actually picked you up and started carrying you – and where you had been a few moments before, a giant black foot was planted quite firmly. Kisuke was already caught up with her, sprinting at full pace alongside of her.

“L-lady Yoruichi, I-“ You were trying to object to being carried but, instead of arguing, she set you on your feet, pausing momentarily, letting you get your balance before she started sprinting again, this time holding onto your hand.

“No time for talk, run!” she shouted. You were barely able to keep up, but with her providing most of the forward momentum and dragging you along all you really had to do was focus and keep your feet hitting the ground. As long as you didn’t trip, you were okay.

You actually managed it, somehow.

The chase continued for what felt like forever, but it must have only been a couple of minutes. Because even you were surprised when you heard the sounds of combat behind you, the tearing of flesh and the inhuman roar of a Hollow in pain.

“They’re here,” Kisuke said quietly.

“I know. We need to keep moving,” Lady Yoruichi replied. You looked back, and realized what they were talking about instantly. The Hollow that had been chasing you was now engaged in vicious combat with a Shinigami. It was too far away for you to see any details, but you knew that a Hollow in Soul Society was not taken lightly. If the problem wasn’t resolved momentarily, then the entire force of the Gotei 13 would bear down upon it.

“Why are we still running?!” You tried to shout out, but you were focusing so much on keeping your legs under you it barely came out.

“We can’t let them see us… the noble Shihoin family does not take kindly to disobedience,” Lady Yoruichi said quietly, almost ominously. "I'm allowed into the Seireitei on my own, but the Rukongai is strictly forbidden. Normally it wouldn't be that bad, but after father caught me last week…"

For the next few moments you stayed quiet, focusing on your feet and also on what she had said. Indeed the idea of her being punished was bad enough… especially after dealing with a Hollow attack. Not that your day was much better, seeing as you now had to relocate and find a new home, but you still felt some sympathy for the young woman. Both Yoruichi and Kisuke had been so genuine with you, you felt some connection to both of them almost immediately.

“This… should be far enough…” Lady Yoruichi said, breathing somewhat heavily for a woman as agile as she seemed. You were so exhausted you couldn’t even speak for several moments, so you couldn't blame her… and she had been doing all the actual running.

“What should we do, Lady Yoruichi?” Kisuke asked in a very cautious tone of voice.

“I guess that depends on our new friend,” Lady Yoruichi said, looking over at you.

You raised your hands defensively as you tried to regain your breath. “I swear… I won’t tell… anyone about you.”

Lady Yoruichi’s face twisted in what looked like… guilt? “Thanks, but that's not really what I meant. You invited us into your home, and a Hollow destroyed it. I was thinking about what you were going to do next.”

You grimaced. At least they were considerate enough to think of you, instead of only themselves. Perhaps the rumors of the selfishness of nobility weren't true… at least not for all of them. “Well… I’ll just have to find something. There are quite a few abandoned homes in the Rukongai, and some of them are in pretty good condition. I've moved a few times in the last year or so, this won't be a big deal.”

“Nonsense!”

Lady Yoruichi’s sharp response caused you to snap out of your gloom and look her in the eyes, where you saw a fire you hadn’t actually noticed before.

“E-excuse me?” You asked hesitantly.

Yoruichi’s determination remained, but compassion entered her eyes as well. “You… saved me. You risked your life even after I told you to leave. As a member of the Shihoin family, it would be dishonorable of me to let you simply return to the streets.”

“Lady Yoruichi, are you suggesting what I think you are?” Kisuke asked, surprise lighting his face.

Yoruichi nodded, and stared into your eyes. “Come with us. To the Shihoin manor. It might not be easy, and you’d have to work for the Shihoin family… but it’s a better life. And you would have a real home. We can tell my father that I was out exploring the Seireitei - that's what he thinks I was doing anyway. I will tell him that you offered your services and proved yourself. I won't relent unless he agrees to make you one of our servants. But… only if you want to, of course. It's not much, but I do owe you."

Your eyes widened at the mere thought of that. Could you really do that? You’d be doing who knew what for the noble house, but… could any job there really be worse than a life out here?

**Accept her offer: Go to Chapter 48**

**Decline, and find a new home: Go to Chapter 49**


	24. Chapter 24

You panicked; you wanted to help her, but in your hesitation Kisuke was already ahead of you. From the way he was lifting, it was only a matter of moments before Yoruichi was free anyway, already starting to pry one of her legs free. You still thought of helping, but...

It was Yoruichi who solved your moral dilemma. Waving one of her free arms at you, with the Hollow looming nearer, she shouted out at you loudly; “Go! Just run! We'll catch up!”

You turned, and though you felt somewhat guilty, you sprinted away from the scene, trying hard not to turn around and look. You heard boards cracking behind you, and the ever-present roar of the Hollow. But that was good, right? If it was roaring it at least meant its mouth was empty…

You didn’t bother trying to twist and turn through the streets. You wanted Yoruichi and Kisuke to find you, if only so that you knew they were okay. Besides, the Hollow probably wouldn’t chase after you unless Yoruichi and Kisuke were with you anyway. For several moments, you wondered if you might ever see them again.

Then he was there, Kisuke – with Yoruichi in his arms. She was grimacing and didn’t look happy, but she was alive. You were so relieved you almost didn’t notice the stream of red coming down her leg.

“You’re hurt!” You shouted out while trying to keep up.

“It’s just a scratch… Kisuke, don't get too far ahead."

“Her leg was caught on a board, she tore it open on a nail fairly deeply. She'll be fine, but I didn't want to risk her injuring herself further during our escape,” Kisuke said. He still looked quite concerned… was the wound that bad? Or was he just that close with her?

The sound of the Hollow screaming behind you caused both of you to turn your heads. It was already chasing you, and with such large, long legs it would only be a matter of time before it caught up, surely. You put on a burst of speed, abandoning all conservation of stamina and going for pure speed.

Kisuke seemed able to keep up with you easily, despite the fact that he also had to carry Yoruichi in his arms the entire time. If anything, he was keeping himself to your pace so that you didn’t get left behind as Yoruichi asked. But it wasn’t enough. The Hollow was catching up, and although you were too frightened to turn and look – especially since that could only slow you down at this point – you felt as though it was breathing down your neck.

Then there was a huge explosion, so close it felt like it was right above your head.

Kisuke and you both turned your heads, not bothering to stop running. Just as the Hollow was closing in you saw a Shinigami almost flying through the air. It had practically tackled the thing – its foot was embedded in its mask just above its mouth and their black cloak fluttered as they pressed the Hollow back, easily overpowering its running momentum as if it was nothing. Either the Hollow was weaker than your fear would lead you to believe, or the Shinigami was amazing.

“Keep running,” Kisuke said quietly. You were confused, but nodded. Even with the Shinigami there, you weren’t comfortable being anywhere near that thing.

“Over here!”

You didn’t get a moment to look at where the voice had come from, but instead both you and Kisuke were grabbed and yanked, rather violently, behind a house that you were passing. Kisuke was so shocked he didn’t put up a fight; you doubted that you could have.

“Stay here, kids, I’ll protect you.” The man seemed like he was trying to be brave and reassuring for the children, but really, him being there was only stressing out Kisuke and Yoruichi more. She was frantically trying to hide her face, and he was looking the other way, both hoping desperately the Shinigami wouldn’t somehow recognize them.

They were both members of the noble family Shihoin, supposedly - even if he didn’t recognize them on sight, it would only be a matter of time before he or further reinforcements recognized her.

But did you dare act?

**Provide a distraction, help them get away: Go to Chapter 50**

**Stay with them, keep your head low: Go to Chapter 51**


	25. Chapter 25

Primal instinct was all that saved you; the hand was faster than you were, but your reflexes sent you flying backwards before you even processed the danger. The hand smashed into the side of your house, knocking several boards free and creating a rather sizeable hole.

The sounds of the Hollow screaming in frustration were quite loud, and you had to crawl backwards as the hand reached out, slowly inching from the portal it had opened. The claws scraped at the ground in front of you as you did everything in your power to avoid them.

The portal reached open all the way, and suddenly the Hollow was thrusting its entire body through piece by piece. The hand was now above you, falling down, coming to crush you-

Then there were arms, wrapped around your own and pulling you back rapidly, just as the hand slammed down. The Hollow roared once again in frustration, and Yoruichi started shouting in your face while pulling you away. “Hurry! We have to get out of here!”

You didn’t really think you needed to be told, but you weren’t going to take the time to say that. Instead you started sprinting after her; she was running so quickly you thought for sure that you were going to get left behind, but she stayed within a few feet of you, eyes always checking to make sure you were still there.

You lost track of Yoruichi after a few moments, in the instant that you turned your head to get a glimpse of the Hollow that was still hot on your heels. By the time you turned around she was far ahead of you, past a split in the street. There were two ways to go, both away from the Hollow, but Yoruichi and Kisuke seemed to be separated, each unaware the other was so close. Yoruichi was down the right, waving to you, shouting for you to hurry up. Kisuke was down the left, doing much of the same, looking behind you. He looked pretty nervous, and you were guessing it wasn't only for his sake.

Which way did you run?

**Run left: Go to Chapter 52**

**Run right: Go to Chapter 53**


	26. Chapter 26

You couldn’t help it. You had never so much as seen a Hollow before; hell, you barely even knew what one was supposed to look like until today. That was why you froze, why you couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the arm grabbing for you. The only thing you finally did was too late - the claws were already wrapped around your body.

That was when you started screaming.

Not that you had much time. As soon as you were gripped, you were being dragged toward the portal. You were turned as the arm started to twist to properly fit, and for just one fleeting moment you got a glimpse back up the alley toward the door to your house.

Where Yoruichi and Kisuke stood, looking terrified but unable to do anything to save you.

You were pulled through the portal, which quickly closed. Your last hope of escape disappeared. You had stopped screaming although the fear had only grown worse. Now you were simply silently terrified, as the Hollow turned you. Your eyes widened as you looked into its grinning maw.

It didn’t waste time on words, if it could even talk. It merely opened its mouth…

And then you were swallowed by blackness.

**Go to Chapter 54**


	27. Chapter 27

“MOVE!”

With that, you were off. The Hollow’s arm reached into the hole and grasped nothing but air as you vanished out the door and into the streets, intending to put as much distance between yourself and the Hollow as physically possible.

You glanced back over your shoulder and winced as the massive arm swung through the hole and tore what remained of your house into shreds. You couldn’t help but let out a shout of terror as the Hollow moved again and lunged for you, its body coming way too close, the unnatural inky black skin slamming into the ground just a few feet behind you.

You leaped over a stall to take a shortcut down an alley, hearing the fruit and wood smash into multiple pieces only a few moments later as a massive, black foot crushed it without a second thought. You rounded another corner, the buildings around you turning to rubble as the Hollow pressed through the ramshackle structures as though they were nothing more than minor hindrances.

But as you rounded the corner you tripped over a mop, left haphazardly strewn out by some resident likely too lazy to bother actually properly storing it in this heat. The vibrations of the Hollow trouncing around were wildly growing as it came through the alley, and by the time you were on your feet it was there, towering above you.

It raised both arms, preparing to deliver the final strike, and-

An explosion engulfed you, the second time in the span of only a few minutes that you were knocked about by something far more powerful than yourself. But this time you were actually quite grateful for it.

Because when the smoke cleared, the Hollow had a huge hole through its chest – and was beginning to vanish.

You looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. But it didn’t take very long. The Shinigami who had done it wasn’t exactly attempting to hide – he was standing in the middle of the street, one hand on his blade, as if expecting the Hollow to suddenly strike back.

His outfit was unusual. He wore a strange hat, one you had not seen a Shinigami wear before. And over his robes he wore a bright pink sash covered in flowers… it wasn’t exactly intimidating, like you would think of a Shinigami, but power radiated outward from him somehow. 

He sighed, taking his hand off of his blade and tipping his hat once again. This man was incredible, to have taken out a Hollow so quickly, so easily. And he had saved your life. What should you do?

**Talk to him: Go to Chapter 55**

**Get out of there: Go to Chapter 56**


	28. Chapter 28

“Fight!”

Maybe it was temporary insanity, or just adrenaline-fueled bravado. Whatever it was, you grabbed a piece of shattered board and ran straight at the Hollow, quite the opposite reaction most people would have had. Something was invading your home, and as foolish as it might have been, your first reaction was to drive it out.

With a shout of exertion, as the Hollow’s arm came through the hole, you gripped the flat end of the shattered piece of wood and thrust it forward. You drove it straight through the flesh of the black creature, digging it deep into the arm, and a satisfying yet disgusting sound reverberated through the house.

The Hollow roared in pain and retracted its arm. You stared at the hole, ready, waiting for even the slightest movement.

The whole house shook, and you lost your footing as you stumbled backward, away from the now-missing wall of your house. The roof stayed up, somehow miraculously supported by the three walls that remained, but now the Hollow had thrust most of its upper body directly into your house, and you were cornered.

So, mind already accepting the fight or flight response it had chosen, you did what was natural. You swung the board as hard as you could at the head that was tightly jammed into the room with you. The board cracked in half, sending splinters flying across the house. The Hollow barely moved, though… and you began to contemplate just how much damage you thought you could do armed with wood and your bare hands.

You didn’t have enough time to come up with an answer – the Hollow was pissed, and because you had backed just out of biting range, it smashed its palm into you instead. You were sent backward with enough force to crash through the wall and out into the street, wooden shards scattering around you, a couple stuck into your flesh painfully.

Your head was spinning, but you got your feet underneath you – somehow. You were off, fleeing through the streets, hoping against hope that the loud pounding behind you was farther than you thought, that you would be able to escape, that-

You would learn how to fly?

No, you weren’t flying, you were being carried – the arm wrapped around your waist told you that as soon as you had the thought. And as you were, quickly, deposited on the ground, you saw your savior for who she was.

A Shinigami. A woman, one with glasses and long, braided black hair.

“Captain, the boy is safe!”

“Good job, Lisa. Now, stand back.”

Another Shinigami stepped forward. He was taller, but looked a bit sillier with his strange garments, including an awfully large hat and a very bright pink sash… yet as he drew his blade, you felt an aura of power wash over the area. Like you were being pulled to the ground by sheer energy. The woman, Lisa, she kept her arms around you, supporting you and protecting you as her Captain stepped forward.

Your eyes widened, trying to catch every detail. It wasn’t every day that one met a Shinigami, much less a Captain. Unfortunately, your efforts were in vain. No matter how much you widened your eyes, you weren’t able to catch any of what happened next. Suddenly the Captain was gone, and the Hollow was split in two, a brilliant white flash being all that clued you in to the stroke of a powerful sword.

You barely noticed as the arms left you, when you were suddenly alone. The woman who had saved you stepped forward, unaffected by the force washing over you. As the Captain reappeared several feet from where he'd been before, he sheathed his blade and a moment later the intense gravity faded away. The two of them stood close together, whispering about something that you couldn't quite hear. Part of you wanted to thank them - they _had_ probably just saved your life, after all. 

On the other hand, now you were homeless, and you were still pretty scared to stay in the area a Hollow had just shown up in, even though consciously you realized that being around Shinigami like this was about the safest place to be.

**Approach them: Go to Chapter 57**

**Leave immediately: Go to Chapter 58**


	29. Chapter 29

The primal part of your brain, and the part that understood just how dangerous Hollows really were, managed to overpower your sheer terror. You didn’t even realize that you were turned around and sprinting, until you cleared your house and were moving through the streets, ducking and weaving. You heard what sounded like a fist closing behind you as you made your way out into the Rukongai.

You had a small head start – the Hollow was just beginning to pull the rest of its body through the strange portal. As you started to run you heard what sounded a lot like a roar of frustration, the Hollow no doubt trying to pull enough of its body through to chase after its fleeing meal.

The distant sound of massive footsteps started after you eventually, but you couldn’t see the Hollow as you peered back. Your best guess was that you had somehow managed to lose it, putting enough buildings between yourself and the Hollow that it couldn’t follow you by vision alone. Instead it wandered aimlessly. But you weren’t going to stop until you were much farther away than a few buildings.

You kept up the pace for so long that by the time you were forced to stop, having no more energy left in your limbs, you couldn’t recognize the buildings you were around anymore.

You put your hands on your knees, bent over and panting, even while trying to remain quiet. The sound of footsteps was still somewhat nearby, too close for comfort, but you had to take shelter in a large doorway of someone’s home and rest. It would be better to stop and rest out of sight than to fall down in the middle of the street in exhaustion.

A sudden scream rent the air. It was a woman’s shouting, followed by an equally panicked, but somehow more angry than fearful shout. With colorful language too.

“Get away from me you stupid son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you!”

A long, drawn out roar followed it. A chill ran through your veins as you realized what had happened – the Hollow had found a new target.

You only had seconds to choose – which would you do?

**Go help the voice: Go to Chapter 59**

**Run away while it’s distracted: Go to Chapter 60**


	30. Chapter 30

You couldn’t help it. You had never so much as seen a Hollow before; hell, you barely even knew what one was supposed to look like until today. That was why you froze, why you couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the arm grabbing for you.

But when you felt those long black talons wrapping around you, you certainly started screaming.

Not that you had much time. As soon as you were gripped, you were being dragged toward the portal. You thrashed, fought, and did everything you could to escape the powerful grip… but it seemed impossible. All your efforts barely got you a few inches of movement in the tight grip. In an instant, you were thrust through the portal, still in the grip of the Hollow.

Behind you, the portal that you had entered through closed quickly. Your last hope of escape disappeared. You had stopped screaming, although the fear had only grown worse. Now you were simply silently terrified, as the Hollow turned you to face it. Your eyes widened as you looked into its grinning maw.

It didn’t waste time on words, if it could even talk. It merely opened its mouth…

And then you were swallowed by utter blackness.

**Go to Chapter 61**


	31. Chapter 31

You had to defend yourself, especially since you had to assume that the guy who owned two wooden swords and had them at the ready was quite a bit more skilled with them than you were. So instead of focusing on trying to attack Gin you began circling, backing away steadily, moving around the house as you tried to deflect his blows. The stab, aimed for your abdomen, glanced off of your right side as you twisted away. From there, you started awkwardly trying to tap his blows out of the way using your own weapon, unfamiliar with swords but pretty good on the concept of not getting stabbed. All the same, he was persistent, and the longer the battle drew on, the more Gin seemed to drive into you.

He didn’t stop until eventually you moved to parry a downward strike, and he suddenly redirected his blade. You barely even saw it happening, but suddenly your side was aching and you noticed the sword digging into it. 

“You’re okay. For someone who’s never held a sword before, I guess you can’t expect much more,” Gin said as he withdrew the blade. You couldn’t help but feel somewhat awkward – the battle was fake, but something had glittered in his eyes as he struck, and he had real disappointment in his voice despite his harsh words coated with kindness.

“Thanks… I think,” You muttered. In spite of your disappointment at his defeat of you, you were sort of proud of your effort. You'd never even held a sword before, but you felt as if you'd learned a couple things from the admittedly brief sparring session.

“Don’t worry too much. He’s looking for any excuse to train lately, what with the Shinigami exams coming up in just two days,” Rangiku said calmly.

“Shinigami exams… in two days?”

“Sure are, the Academy is holding their entrance exams in the early afternoon. Anyone and everyone who wants to get out of this place is going to be there… most of them will fail.”

“Very positive,” You noted quietly. He had a strange look in his eyes, an almost dangerous look, one that you weren’t certain you wanted to fool around with.

“Oh, I’m very positive when you get to know me. For instance, I'm absolutely certain I’m going to make it in. The rest of the crop, not so much.”

“That’s Gin for you, always so cocky,” Rangiku added with a smile.

The two of you sat back down, though you kept an eye on the silver-haired boy. You weren’t certain if he was going to throw any more blades at you suddenly. Real or wooden.

“It isn’t called being cocky when you can actually do it, you know,” He added dryly, that same fox-like grin plastered on his face.

“What about you, Rangiku? Are you going to join?”

Rangiku looked quite surprised, as if that was the last question she expected. “Well… of course. Won’t everyone try out? It’s one of the only ways to get out of here with your soul still intact…”

You nodded grimly. Of course, the life of a Shinigami could be even more dangerous than most parts of the Rukongai were… still…

“You should come back tomorrow and train along with us,” Rangiku said suddenly, looking over at you. “We could always use the help… and besides, the more people that we have to train against, the stronger we’ll become.”

You nodded your head back and forth idly, considering the offer. It sounded interesting, but… what were you going to do?

**Come back tomorrow, train with them: Go to Chapter 62**

**Decline, go on your own: Go to Chapter 63**


	32. Chapter 32

Well, the best defense was a good offense right? Besides, you knew that a guy who owned two wooden swords (and who was so willing and ready to use them at any time) was someone who was going to be a lot more skilled than you were. The only shot you had was going to be catching him off guard, immediately.

When the blow came, you reacted as quickly as you could. You smashed the sword away using your own, and before he could react, shoved your own blade forward. 

Your "surprise" attack was not nearly as effective as you'd wanted it to be; Gin reacted so quickly you couldn't even see his movements until you both froze in place. Instead of landing a blow and winning, both of you ended up with the tip of a wooden sword at your throat, bent awkwardly backward trying to escape the uncomfortable feeling.

Gin stared between your face and your sword, looking quite amazed, which was impressive given that he hadn't even opened his eyes yet.

“Well now, isn’t this unexpected? I have to admit, I didn’t think you would go on the offensive quite so quickly. But…”

Suddenly his blade was twirling, effortlessly knocking your own sword away. Then he was at your throat, weapon lightly pressing into the front of your neck as that same grin covered his face. You were completely unable to understand how he had moved, but you knew by how little effort he seemed to have put in that beating you was child’s play to him, even when your sword had been at his throat.

“I won’t be making that mistake again,” he finished.

“Been a while since someone put a sword to your throat, Gin,” Rangiku commented idly from the corner of the room.

“Are you trying to say something?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow at the young girl.

“Just that you’re slipping!” Rangiku snorted and laughed a little bit, but Gin went back to ignoring her as he focused again on you.

“With guts like that and a little bit of skill, you could make it as a Shinigami. Come back tomorrow. The exam is in two days; maybe together the three of us can help each other? A bit of training never hurt anyone. Including me, it seems…"

You thought about that for a few moments…

**Agree to come back: Go to Chapter 64**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 65**


	33. Chapter 33

“I think I can make it on my own…” you began slowly, “…but I’m certainly not going to turn down help.”

Gin nodded, with that same blank smile on his face. “Excellent. Do you have any experience?”

The vague enthusiasm that had coated your features a moment ago faded quickly when you realized that, no, you did not in fact have any experience. In fact… you didn’t think anyone outside the Academy itself did. How could you have experience as a Shinigami? In fact what kind of question was that at all?!

“Uh, no… do you?”

“No.”

You deadpanned as Gin didn’t even react. Rangiku chuckled and interjected to explain quickly.

“Gin is just joking, the Academy doesn’t require any experience. They just test you on your Spiritual Pressure… for the most part. If you’ve got enough, they’ll let you in on principle, or if you can prove that you would make a good Shinigami in other ways like swordsmanship or physical strength they’ll train you as well.”

“Indeed. That’s why we’re going to kill two birds with one stone… I believe that’s the expression,” Gin said, pointing to the corner. There you spied two wooden swords laying crossed, both looking quite worn around the blades.

“We’ll be using those?”

“And one more. Not to worry, I always keep a spare… somewhere. We break them quite a bit,” Rangiku said with a mischievous grin.

You smiled and nodded. You didn’t really know what to say, but you felt oddly confident in this plan. And if anything was going to get you a better life it was a trip to the Academy. You just had to work hard at making it in…

“Well, we could start today, but it’s getting late, and we’re going to want to be well rested for the next couple of days, so I think we’re best going to bed for now.”

Gin’s words didn’t necessarily imply that you had to leave, but you took the hint anyway. “I suppose that’s about the best plan for now… I’m looking forward to training with both of you.”

“Hey, it’s getting late,” Rangiku said, casting her gaze outside. You looked out and noticed for the first time just how much time had passed – the chill of the evening air was entering the house, and you realized the sun was already well over the horizon, only the faintest glimpse left on the border between land and sky.

“I’ll walk you back. It’s not always safe in this neighborhood at night.”

You looked to Gin. He seemed a bit surprised, but if he was displeased now (if he hadn’t been already) he didn’t voice an objection.

Still, would you accept the offer?

**Say yes: Go to Chapter 66**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 67**


	34. Chapter 34

“Sorry, but I think I’m going to try on my own. I want to see if I have what it takes,” you said after a moment. And it was true, you did want to see if you had the skills to enter the academy alone – but more than that, something about this guy set you on edge. Maybe it was just your imagination. Then again, you hadn’t lived as long as you had by ignoring your gut no matter how silly the suspicion seemed.

“Shame,” Gin said, though his voice betrayed no actual disappointment of any kind. “But I suppose I can’t blame you for wanting to try on your own.”

You nodded. “Sorry. If I can’t make it through on my own, I'm not opposed to the help, but I want to try on my own first."

"We aren't planning on failing."

"N-no, I meant I'd regret not taking the help, but I want to see if I'm good enough on my own first," you corrected, shaking your head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply-"

“Of course not. I just wanted you to be aware Rangiku and I will be quite occupied at the Academy, so we won’t be able to help you later. This is your only chance."

His smile was starting to seriously disturb you. You stood and bowed quickly.

“Thank you very much for the food. I’m afraid I have to leave, but I hope to meet you both again. At the academy,” You added, feeling more confident both in your arrival… and that you weren’t sure you wanted to see him there anyway.

“It’s been fun.”

“Hey, it’s getting late,” Rangiku said, casting her gaze outside. You looked out and noticed for the first time just how much time had passed – the chill of the evening air was entering the house, and you realized the sun was already well over the horizon, only the faintest glimpse left on the border between land and sky.

“I’ll walk you back. It’s not always safe in this neighborhood at night.”

You looked to Gin. He seemed a bit surprised, but if he was displeased now (if he hadn’t been already) he didn’t voice an objection.

Still, would you accept the offer?

**Say yes: Go to Chapter 68**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 69**


End file.
